Wild Kat
by Culfindae
Summary: I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat. I will never quit. I will never leave a fallen comrade. Rating changed. On hiatus.
1. An American Soldier

(A/N: The Wildcat is the name for the shoulder sleeve insignia of the 81st infantry division. The 81st dates back to the late 1910's, during which time they fought bravely in France during WWI. Today, 81st Wildcats are identified with unique patches, which are worn on the left shoulder and flushed with the fatigues. They are distinguished with the black form of a cat running.)

(A/N: In today's army, though it is not encouraged, cursing is a common practice. During a casual, calm conversation, one might hear cursing every other sentence. When the soldier is upset or 'worked-up', the cursing may increase up to every other word. In light of prospectively offending the reader, the cursing has either been changed or eliminated.)

(A/N: The genre of 'General' is assigned to this work for lack of adequate description. This is actually a complication of many genres integrated into one.)

(A/N: To Legomance fans and writers, my condolences. Legolas is anything but a hero within this plot.)

_**/song, musical, or movie reference/**_

_-Kat's thoughts-_

_**&Kat's memories&**_

**Chapter 1:**

**An American Soldier**

Kat's ears were deaf to the cadence the squad leader was shouting, her mind going through the "Sergeant Bilko" version just to keep her legs moving.

_**/"I can barely move my legs.**_

_**Do me a favor, kill me now.**_

_**Something, something rhymes with legs.**_

_**My life is over anyhow.**_

_**One, two**_

_**Three, four**_

_**Bring it all down**_

_**One, two, three, four"/**_

It was pessimistic and its origin, though the movie had a military setting, was too inane, but with Kat's shoulder, hip, lungs, and heart all threatening to remove themselves from her aching body it was perfectly set and even funny.

"…_Air Force Ranger._

_Guts and danger._

"_I want to be an auto mechanic_

_I want live life so frantic._

_Auto mechanic._

_Life so frantic._

The first time Kat had heard this cadence was when her brother… no, the first time was from watching "The Breakfast Club". The second time she heard it was when her brother was getting her in shape for basic training. At the time, Kat was tempted to rip out his larynx just to stop him from making any noise, since she was annoyed as it was to be up at five o'clock and running two miles straight.

"_I want to be a combat medic_

Kat's attention sharpened to this part of the cadence, since that was close enough to her specialty.

"_I want to distribute anesthetic_

_Combat medic_

_Anesthetic…"_

Kat returned once again to the silent cadence in her head, not caring for the other verses. She let her breathing and the rhythm of "Sergeant Bilko" set her pace. Neither breath nor cadence alleviated the pain, but only served to push her on.

Her unspoken cadence was one of the small things that kept her from breaking when it had come to basic training. With it, she had retained her sense of humor and wit. Those nine weeks of training were callous to the mind and body, but Kat had found refuge and shields in various escapes.

When the drill sergeant had started yelling in her face, Kat simply unfocused her eyes and removed her consciousness from the present and said and did what had to be done until the drill sergeant moved on to her next victim. When Kat had thought she couldn't take another step or give another pushup, a song would surface in her head from her childhood and she would let the melody sooth her weariness, allowing Kat to continue.

"Route time, march!" Sergeant First Class Houng Nguyen, though everyone informally called him Newt, called out. Her group slowed from 'double time' (aka running) to a walk. Each struggled to calm their breathing as the weariness caught up with them.

After a few moments of informal marching, Newt led them back into formal marching (quick time). "Group, halt."

Two steps later, the entire squad was standing at attention, never minding the heat or their exhaustion or their want to breathe heavily. Newt turned and examined his detail, his upward-slanted almond eyes critically looking for any defects. If there were any, Kat was obdurate it wouldn't have anything to do with her. Newt examined his detail for perhaps a minute, though he wouldn't go farther than that; he also was showing signs of exhaustion, sweat, and pain. He looked to his watch and Kat prayed that the physical conditioning was over.

In front of her stood Wally, his knees locked and limp in the heat. His crew cut hair kept it difficult to know what color it really was, and Kat wouldn't have known if she hadn't once overheard others in the company teasingly call him Blondie. Kat was worried; Wally could easily suffer heat stroke and collapse. But she could do nothing about it, except try to catch the squad leader's eye and maybe hopefully have him follow her gaze to Wally. She was a soldier and would remain at attention until dismissed or her particular skills were required - Wally actually collapsing.

Either finding no flaws or too tired himself, Newt dismissed the squad. Responding with the usual, "Hooah," the squad dissolved.

Wally and Reggie collapsed on the nearby lawn under the Californian trees, just wanting to catch their breath. Ty started pacing around, cooling down his muscles before stopping altogether. Kat, on the other hand, kept her composure and pretended this physical training had been nothing at all.

Without waiting for anyone, Kat turned on the sharp of her heel and made for the woman's locker room. She sometimes wondered why she insisted on getting things like showering over and done without even stopping for leisure. It wasn't as if she had to avoid other females.

Women were few in numbers in the military, too few for ease. Because Kat joined the reserves, she had thought the number of women would give her comfort. True, there were more women, but not enough for comfort. In her squad, she was the only woman - and that was statistically normal. To Kat, that scarcity was both a curse and a blessing. There was a saying that held true for many females deployed for a year to the Middle East – 'Queen for a year'. While this didn't affect some females that she met, the majority that she knew grew such prima donna complexes that Kat wanted nothing to do with them. Some female soldiers were professionals who did their jobs and kept their lives and their jobs separate, and all the rest – to be quite frank and crass – were sluts! They used men, their sexuality, and their position to gain whatever they desired! True, some males did that too, but she saw it more with the females than the males.

That was the main reason Kat got along far better with married soldiers.

Kat stripped off her sweat drenched shirt, tossing it in the locker before her. She felt much cooler now. When she had finished undressing, Kat went to the showers without a care. Maybe once in a while she would run into another woman, but Kat neither notice nor care.

With the cool water flowing down her back, Kat felt at ease and stretched her muscles as so they wouldn't cramp from the former physical training. She would not let go of her barricade she had set up during basic training when she was relaxed as now. Kat grabbed the soap and started firstly with her hands. Her hands were always first… it was a nurse habit.

As much as it surprised her, her hands (from stopping her falls, fighting bigger soldiers, cutting and scratching themselves on various objects, and even covered with dirt or grease or blood) always had a dainty outline to them. They weren't long and slender like those of fairytale princesses, but petite, smooth, and with slender stumps as fingers – almost like a child's hand. Perhaps it was the way her hand always held an elegant, curled poise, like one ready to play a harp or a guitar.

Finished cleaning her hands, Kat carelessly washed the face, which was complex in itself. It was an odd mixture of strength (square jaw), sweetness (plump, cupid bow lips), elegance (high cheek bones), intelligence (large, slanted eyes), and (unless they saw the battle-hardened face that caused them to soil their pants) gave others an urge to cuddle and baby her.

Babying and cuddling were the two things Kat cringed from. For years now, she had tried to impress on others that she did not need to be taken care of or sheltered. She may have views that were ideal, but that in no means equated naivety or purity. She had come to a conclusion that, though it was evident to others of her endurance, there was simply something about her manner that invited such conduct.

Kat leaned her face into the pelting water and let the soap run off. Her hands wiped away the remaining soap and water. Now she needed to clean off the dirt and sweat on her body.

Her wide bone structure made her tiny body an hourglass figure at best. It wasn't like those runway models with tummy tucks, liposuction, face-lifts, and other mutilations to form what was the ideal of perfection. The army hadn't taken into account of her pelvic bone structure and kept her below her desired weight. She could feel her ribs, spine, and even the bottom of her hipbone. That left little room for muscle and even smaller room for fat - and that wasn't good (nutrition wise).

Kat turned slowly in the shower, letting the soap rinse off. Her hands automatically wiped her eyes of the water and proceeded through her hair. Before entering the army, Kat had been told her greatest beauty was her 'new penny' hair, as her mother would put it (or wild fire depending on the light). Kat remembered the gasp and saddened look her mother gave when Kat had come home a couple of days before basic training with her thick, long hair cut close to the scalp. It wasn't necessary for her to cut it, but felt that there were more important things than hair. Besides, Kat - at that time - had a suspicion that she would not get much time to care for the one part of her that amplified every beauty she had during basic training.

Functionality over beauty.

Not many girls or women understood that principle. For most girls, it was malls, manicures, makeovers, gossip, boys, parties, and popularity with them. Not Kat. When she learned that an aloe vera plant had more uses than a daisy, she got herself an aloe vera plant. When five o'clock came, it was either a book, running, or turning onto a learning or news channel instead of 'Buffy' or 'Family Guy; with shows like that running, it wasn't any wonder that Iraqis thought the U.S. to be a devil nation. She disliked the idea of covering one's own face - it seemed to her that all beauty products did were increase customer dependence since. She had no respect for following trends - mainly because trends were just that and would not last. She was repulsed at others' harming the body just because for the common view.

Kat's fingers ran through the short hair she had purposely kept short. The lack of length still took her by surprise each time, but Kat had made a decision and would stick with it for better or for worse. She had barely cut it before returning to California to drill two weeks in the summer with her company - as agreed with any person in the reserves. Slightly longer than a traditional man's clean-cut haircut, Kat still had trouble controlling it. People read about the famous 'wild, fire hair', but what they didn't know was that it had a mind of its own and would never submit to a comb. With its volume and refusal to stay put, Kat had been tempted many times to just shave it all like "G.I. Jane."

Kat grabbed her nearby towel and dried herself off quickly. That was another advantage of short hair - dries quickly.

Kat did not hurry putting on a fresh set of clothes, nor did she take her time. She had the rest of the day off. Tomorrow….

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow would be the day Kat's squad would be going into a simulation battle. The object would be to get the entire squad to the other side of obstacle course with the least amount of 'casualties' in the quickest time. Already the guys were opening pots and taking bets on which squad would end up in which place. This type of activities bred contentions between squads and there ended up everything short of an actual fight. Kat would take no note of them, allowing them to bask in their own testosterone surge.

Kat was now fully dressed. She grabbed her sunglasses and shut her locker, momentarily coughing from the before exercise. She listened tensely. Good. No one heard that.

Kat never really liked the Californian sunlight all that much, so it was little wonders that she chose the shadiest path to the chow hall. Another good part was few walked this path, even if Kat were in uniform, it would be unlikely that she would have to salute. The fighting and facing stress she could handle - it was the etiquette and respect part that she couldn't.

When Kat first entered the mess hall, she slid her card down the slot and waited for the meal to deduct more from her account. She took a tray and was scuttled down the lines with other soldiers. She looked down at the variety when she could; noting what there was that would fit within her vegetarian diet.

She wasn't a vegetarian for 'animal rights' or cult beliefs, but because she just couldn't take the taste any longer. Though some had told her it was passing a phase and would soon grow into her taste for meat again, Kat hadn't believed them - and with good reason, seeing as she had been a vegetarian for five years now. The only problem was to keep it a low profile. Anything different among soldiers marked you for nagging from others at the least.

When she had filled her tray with fruits, vegetables, a glass of water, and a bit of meat for appearances, Kat turned and scanned the room.

She was not the type to make friends easily, and didn't feel comfortable to sit among strangers. She knew how awkward it was to be sitting at a table with no desire for others to approach, only to have a stranger sit across from you and start talking to you as if you two were childhood friends. She wouldn't do that to anyone. That, and Kat was – to a point – shy.

With that in mind, Kat took a seat at an empty table near a table of girls. Being close to those of the same gender was reassuring.

Lunch usually was a wonderful time, when Kat could just sit and eat lazily, listen in on conversations, and not have to add anything to it at all. And if she did want to - well, that's why there was the phrase of 'muttering under one's breath.' Kat let her mind flow and catch words and phrases.

"… Just look at… thinks… better than ev… "

Through the clamor of the mess hall, Kat could hear the girls from the next table talking among themselves. She had a distinct feeling they were talking about her, making her hearing peak.

"You mean, Miss Ice Queen?"

"Puh-lease, don't start complimenting her."

"I'm trying to decide whether she's living under a rock or made of one."

"I said, don't compliment her."

"What if I said I'd be giving a celebration if a stray bullet just happens to find _that_ one?"

"I know… She thinks she's all that, trying to prove that she's one of the guys… "

No, she hadn't ever tried to prove that she was an equal. She was aiming for superiority. It was either all or nothing. Either better than all the guys, or just another Daddy's girl wanting to follow in his footsteps. There was no in-between for Kat.

"Yeah. What's up with that? Is she aiming for Miss United States or something? I mean, I heard she got the highest score on the ASVAB possible; she runs all of us and most the guys into the dirt; you heard how she kicked that drill sergeant's ass when it came to hand-to-hand; she took one of the most advanced courses offered; all the officers like her; she never breaks down, yells, cries, or anything. What is she? A robot?"

"If she is, then they did a botched job on her looks."

Kat heard them laugh, but it did nothing to upset her. She had always known she was far from pretty. Throughout all her public schooling, her peers made sure she knew that. After twenty-three years of facing herself in the mirror everyday she had accepted it and saw through it. After twenty-three years, Kat had learned there was much more to her than just skin, hair, and teeth.

"Who knows, she might be pretty…if she'd just stop wearing that face. She looks at everyone as if we're pond scum."

"You're telling me. You know Karen's boyfriend… the one with the green eyes. Well, she told me that when her boyfriend took this one class with her, she had this look in her eyes that made him want to climb back up inside his mom's belly."

Kat chuckled at the idea of a full-grown man trying to fit back into his mother's abdomen. And for him to be scared of her… she chuckled again… was quite amusing.

Kat swigged down the last of her water and left the table, leaving the tray on the conveyer belt that led to the dishwashing station. Her eyes caught the attention of the table of girls as she passed by and exited the dining hall.

She smiled to herself, thinking how her family and Lil would have reacted if they heard the girls' report of her. Her family, and even Lil, would disbelieve it without a second thought. They knew she had a temper and an independent streak, but they also knew she could be the gentlest and sweetest girl in existence. Kat just never let anyone in the army see that side of her; sweetness attracted manipulation. That she knew from experience.

Kat quickly put on her shades and pulled her cap out of her pack. Her eyes had a low tolerance for sunlight, as did her skin; which was why she wore jeans and a gray long-sleeved shirt despite the summer's heat. She headed towards the main entrance as she searched for her ID card; the guards were insistent on everyone showing identification before letting them through the gates (new security system since September eleventh).

With the rest of the day free, Kat was able to do whatever she wanted. But even that limited down her choices; she was used to being without friends and doing what others would call tedious - though it was her option of entertainment.

Let's see… there was nothing new in the cinema that would interest her (she had watched "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" eight times already and Johnny Depp's affect was losing its luster), she didn't have enough time to rent a car and go to Disneyland, there wasn't enough time to read that new book that was supposed to come in today, she didn't want to buy a CD since she didn't have a CD player… what to do…

Well, she could always go to the library and answer that email to her friend in Texas. And Kat could also finish that fanfiction she had promised her.

_**&Lil (Liliath) and Kat (Katherine) had met during their nursing training in Ft. Lewis, Washington, assigned as roommates. In the interest of keeping the peace in that estrogen pool, both Lil and Kat had a silent agreement to let the other to their own devices. They were polar opposites: one quiet, one who couldn't stop talking; one fashion savvy, one whose wardrobe was all one color; one who preferred action movies, one who digged chick flicks; one who spent an hour applying makeup, one who pulled a comb through her hair and thought that was good; one who dated frequently and with variety, one who refused to approach any guy unless it was for work; one who loved sunny beaches, one who soaked in the peace of a light rain in the forest; one a speed demon, one who abided by traffic laws; one who loved wolves, one who could ride the wildest horse; one ambitious, one who was satisfied with her situation in life.**_

_**It wasn't long into the year long course when Lil's latest 'casual flirt/boyfriend' had called to cancel their plans – apparently he had backed his car into the brand new sports car of the barrack's first sergeant and had been assigned extra duties on top of paying for both car's damages – and Lil was left with nothing to do but mope around. It was out of sheer boredom that when Kat had left her laptop to use the restroom, Lil skimmed over the words on the screen. A few minutes later, she was stuttering out something between an excuse and an apology to her roommate, whose face was red as her hair with embarrassment that someone discovered she wrote **_**fanfiction**_**.**_

_**It ended up that Lil had loved Kat's stories and the estranged roommates began to bond over ideas and plots. Conversation veered different directions and they began to notice other things they had in common. They found out that they both loved Jane Austin and thought that Mr. Darcy was the dreamy guy. No matter how much either of them stayed out in the sun, they would both burn red, then return translucent in a few days. They found it ridiculous that some girls in the barracks didn't even know how to wash laundry, much less sew on a button, etc. They were both embarrassed how they loved to dance to the music during the credits of a movie. They could go hours just reading a good book, which didn't include Harlequins. Though it was good to be spontaneous once in a while, they believed in having a detailed plan that included Murphy's Law. Lil and Kat were mirror images of each other; exactly the same, but the opposite.**_

_**After finishing training, Lil had returned to Texas near the Gulf of Mexico and Kat to her inland Rocky Mountains. Kat continued to e-mail Lil some ideas and plots, sometimes to make her laugh or to read her honest opinion about something. But now, their ideas had started to drift. Lil was leaning more towards "Angel" and "The Gilmor Girls", while Kat preferred "Star Wars" and "Lord of the Rings". At least both of them did their homework of all the subjects, Kat especially on "Lord of the Rings".&**_

When the first Peter Jackson "Lord of the Rings" movie came out, Kat felt that she needed to read the book to understand what in blazes was going on. As she read on, she found many references to older days, lore, and languages. To understand them, she bought and read "The Silmarillion". She hadn't gone five words into the book before she judged that she needed "The Complete Guide to Middle-Earth", just so she could sort out who and what the book was talking about. After completing "The Silmarillion", Kat somehow thought there were many parts missing between each story - that there was more to it. That was when Kat read through "The Unfinished Tales", "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil", and the histories of Middle-Earth ("The Book of Lost Tales I, II", "The Lays of Beleriand", "The Shaping of Middle-Earth", "The Lost Road and Other Writings", "The Return of the Shadow", "The Treason of Isengard", "The War of the Ring", "Sauron Defeated", "Morgoth's Ring", "The War of the Jewels", and "The Peoples of Middle-Earth). Much of the ideas contradicted, but when in doubt, Kat relied on the earliest works.

"The Lord of the Rings" was a masterpiece in literature - so well thought out and deep that one would almost believe it to be real. So good, that Kat couldn't help but to have fun with it and create her own characters to interact with Tolkien's. Toying with the stories was just too tempting.

Originally, Lil emphasized on "The Lord of the Rings", since she had been in love with that Legolas character since the age of ten – that girl was always after some blond. But Lil worked more with television series, since she herself couldn't get past the first paragraph of "The Silmarillion". Kat chuckled at the thought of a ten-year old Lil pouring over "The Lord of the Rings" and falling head over heels with a flippant elf. True, after Orlando Bloom had played Legolas, there was now hardly a girl that wasn't head over heels, but Kat still couldn't help feeling the character Legolas was not quite up to her standards.

Kat allowed her stern expression to soften as she concluded she would go to the library. She knew a route that would take her near the beach and would allow her to watch the waves.

As Kat walked along the sidewalks, ignoring when someone made a cat whistle and hoping they choked on their next meal, the bright sunlight would darken due to a passing cloud more and more often. By the time she reached the beach, the western horizon was covered with one large blanket of gray.

She leaned against the railing of the walk next to the beach. The ocean before her was offering larger waves to the surfers. Out in the distance, where the water was a deeper blue, the clouds had forbidden sunlight and only allowing lightening for light. The atmosphere was gray. And if Kat weren't wearing shades, any passing pedestrians would have thought she had somehow trapped that same scene and colors within her eyes.

This might not be good. If the storm held up through tomorrow, Kat would be going through the combat drill in it. Sighing, she wondered if her superiors made sure to watch the weather channel before such events, making it the hardest for her. What was the saying… 'If it's not raining, we're not training'? It was just like the 'If it's not snowing, we're not going' phrase.

Kat walked angrily towards the library, intent now more than ever to e-mail Kal. Now she could waste all her time between now and when she had to be on base tomorrow. She was definitely sticking her nose in a good book if she could. Tomorrow would be a hellish day, so she had a good reason to pamper herself beforehand.


	2. Never Leave a Fallen Comrade

**Chapter 2:**

**Never Leave a Fallen Comrade**

The storm continued through the day through the night, and when Kat ran onto base to make sure she wasn't late the rain and lightening was still coming. She wore her boots and fatigues onto the base and couldn't care less if they were getting soaked, since they were going to get drenched and muddied all the same.

Kat groaned to herself. With the weather in such conditions, the battlefield was going to be muddy, slick, and impossible to maneuver in. Visibility would be greatly reduced. And all and all, it was going to be a hellhole.

***

"Move! Move! Move! Move!"

Kat crawled under the concertina wires, keeping a good grip on her M-16. In the dark of night, with rain pouring down and muddying the dirt below her, live ammunition shooting overhead, it was chaotic… if you didn't know that this was under control.

For those who weren't going through this challenge, there were Noc's (night vision goggles) available - so someone higher up the command chain was looking out for her. As for the rain… compared to basic, this was easy. All Kat had to do was keep her mind focused on what was needed to be done (going forward inch by inch), and never mind seeing or the cold. And for the ammunition? The rifles were equipped with tracer rounds and the shots could go no lower than three feet above the wires. Kat simply had to remember not to stand up.

There was a silent understanding between the soldier in front of her, herself, and the soldier behind her. She would take care of them, and they would take care of her. They were more than a team (a team was only many people with common goals), but more of an Army - soldiers. They looked out for each other; drove each other; pushed, pulled, carried each other; trusted each other with their lives.

Before her was Wally, tall and lanky and sometimes had a hard time controlling his own long limbs (he was only seventeen and still growing). His large feet had more than once accidentally kicked mud into Kat's face. She could tell that he was having trouble with his gear, since he stopped frequently to readjust something.

Wally stopped again, kicking mud into her face. Auck! Kat readjusted the M-16 and wiped it off.

"I can't do this!" Wally yelled. He lowered his head and his limbs went limp.

Kat hit the bottom of his boot. "No, you don't!"

"Come on," said Ty, in the prone behind Kat. "Start moving!"

Wally shook his head. "Just go on around me."

That was it!

Kat was drenched, cold, exhausted, hurting, and ever reminded of the live rounds wheezing overhead. She wasn't quitting and wasn't about to let anyone else.

Kat low crawled up next to Wally, taking in a quick assessment of his physical condition, from toe to head. She grabbed the back of his pistol belt.

"Private First Class David Wallison!" she yelled. "You're getting up…" she pulled on a loop on Wally's body armor forward. "Now!" Wally's body moved only a few inches, resisting her pull. "Whether you crawl or I carry, you are still finishing this!"

Ty crawled up on the opposite side. He looked to the doc. "Is he hurt?"

Kat shook her head in the negative.

Ty grabbed another loop on Wally's body armor. "Come on, battle."

Together, Ty and Kat pulled Wally forward. Wally continued to remain limp, but offered less resistance against _two_ soldiers.

"One, two, three." Count after count, after each set, Ty and Kat pulled Wally out from under the wire. Kat mentally thanked the higher powers that be that the wire only went for fifty meters instead of the standard hundred. Wally was compelled to acquiesce to each haul.

"What's wrong?" asked Newt, who looked back to see the rest of his squad far behind. He didn't wish to crawl back, fearing getting tangled among the wire.

"Something's wrong with Wally," yelled Reggie, who had crawled up behind Wally – and amazingly keeping up (Reggie was carrying the old style radio and those things weighed nearly fifty pounds by themselves). If Wally was tall and lanky, Reggie was a twig.

Newt's gaze switched from the radio tech to the medic, asking for confirmation.

"We can't be sure," Kat answered. "I'll have to do a detailed examination in a safe area."

Newt nodded. "Reggie, call into CQ. We're bringing in a casualty."

Reggie acknowledged and slid off his pack, keeping close to the ground. He picked up the receiver, calling CQ.

Kat's attention returned to Wally. "We need to get you out of here." Her eyes met Ty's. He nodded in recognition. "One, two, three, pull! One, two, three, pull!"

Reggie cursed. "CQ won't answer!"

_**/"I have a bad feeling about this."/**_

"Star Wars" did use that line often enough.

One, two, three, pull. One, two, three, pull. One, two, three, pull.

"Come on, come on…" Newt edged. He cleared the wire and turned, encouraging the others.

One, two, three, pull. One, two, three, pull. Kat's arms were shaking from exhaustion, holding on only because her fingers were caught in Wally's loops. -_Augh! And I thought I reached muscle failure during basic.-_ It was now Ty who was doing the work. All Kat could do was keep up.

"Come on, come on!" Newt barked over the rifle fire.

Reggie, rubbing at the camouflage on his face (useless in the dark because of his already dark complexion), was cursing something Kat didn't want to repeat, something about 'useless machinery'. He would have dumped it and go, but those heavy things cost a bundle on the black market and he would have to later tell the first sergeant why Reggie left such valuable, though useless and out-dated, equipment in the middle of a mud hole. That was why Reggie pulled the rucksack back on and caught up with the other three.

One, two, three, pull. One, two, three, pull.

Kat pulled herself from underneath the wire, where Newt took hold of her shoulder straps and dragged her out. Once most of her body was cleared, Newt released and assisted Ty with Wally.

Kat focused on gaining back the strength in her arms. She was sure that Newt had helped Ty and Reggie. She turned just as Newt started yelling at Reggie.

"What did CQ say?"

"The radio's not working."

"WHAT!"

"The whole blasted things down."

"How's that –"

"How should I know? I did a complete check before we started."

Kat dropped completely to the ground, as did the others, as more rounds passed overhead. How did that cadence go?

_**/…Bullets flying all around**_

_**Gotta keep your head to the ground…/**_

-_Sure… _now_ I listen!-_

"AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugggggggggggh!"

Kat's head snapped towards the scream. Wally was holding his shin, gritting his teeth. Apparently, Wally didn't listen.

Kat crawled toward Wally and slipped off her aid bag (filled with medical equipment, IV bags, and medication). Care under fire meant limited procedures – treat the hemorrhage and get Wally out of there. She ripped the trouser leg and exposed the wound, finding a small, round wound bleeding lightly. She quickly slapped her hand on the wound, applying direct pressure while her other hand slide under the boy's leg. Where there was an entrance wound, there was more than likely an exit – and the exit was usually larger than the entrance. She slid her hand out, checking for blood, every few inches, stopping at the sight of copious dark red blood on her hand when it withdrew near the back of the knee. Kat slapped on a hasty tourniquet near the femoral artery; new studies proved the limb could survive having a tourniquet on for six hours or more.

"Get his pack," Newt ordered Ty.

Reggie retrieved his flashlight and took off the red lens. Towards the tower, he clicked three short, three long, three short, three long. It was the universal distress call – SOS. Reggie prayed that the supervisors saw this.

The bleeding had slowed down, nearly stopped. Bullets were everywhere, though, and treatment was taking too long. Kat needed a safer place to treat Wally.

"We need more cover!" she yelled towards Newt.

Newt didn't quite understand why Kat couldn't just treat Wally right here, but there were a few things to remember on a battlefield – even a mock simulation. One of them was 'stay alert, stay alive' and another was 'take care of those who take care of you'. After all, for everything aside, it was the medic who would keep everyone alive. That was why, when Newt first became a soldier, he was taught to look after the medic – for the medic would look after him. He still counted himself lucky that he had the medic in his squad.

Newt scanned the area. This part of the course was desolate but for a few steep inclines. The closest one was approximately twenty meters at an eleven o'clock bearing.

Kat slipped on the aid bag, still holding pressure over the wound. She could only do so much while the rounds were firing. Until Reggie contacted CQ, Wally would have to accept the skeleton care.

Newt shook Kat's shoulder for attention. "Battle, we're taking cover there," he said, pointing to the hill.

It wasn't much for cover, but something was better than nothing. Kat nodded.

Wally didn't liking the situation any more than anyone else. He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain. The pressure relieved some pain, but not enough to make it bearable. The only question was which pain was worse – the gunshot wound or the tourniquet?

Ty pried Wally's pack off the boy and front loaded it. It would be the boy's weapon that would be the problem. Newt would need to have all his resources available, Reggie already had the radio, and Ty had his arms full with two packs and a weapon. He hated the last option, but he didn't like the present situation either.

"Wylde," he called for Kat's attention. When he had gained it, he continued, "I won't be able to carry Wall's weapon, neither can the others."

Kat didn't like it, she had small hands and short arms (very difficult to handle two weapons), but there wasn't a choice.

She set both weapons on safe and slung the two onto her shoulder. That would leave her other shoulder free to carry Ty. She pulled him up as Wally cried in pain.

"Just lean on me, battle," Kat instructed.

Newt looked over the four others, noting their weariness. They could all take a rest when they reached the other side of the hill. Until then…

Newt gestured to continue, leading them up the muddy hill.

Kat gritted her teeth. The mud below was slipping, she was losing her grip on the two M-16s, and Wally was slipping away. Everything just wasn't going to collapse to nothing when she as trying her all. It wasn't fair! It wasn't right! Kat growled as she tried for a stronger grip.

"Get down!"

Kat dropped to the mud, shielding Wally and hearing more clapping of ammunition – only close this time, closer than she wanted. She turned her head towards Newt. Worry covered his face, eventually meeting Kat's eyes. His eyes trailed passes her and his face went pale. Kat followed the gaze.

Those same boxes of ammunitions and flares were a few feet away and in direct path of the bullets. More rounds sounded off.

-_Oh, freakin' eggnog!_-

Bright.

Big.

Black.


	3. Alice in Wonderland

**Chapter 3:**

**Alice in Wonderland**

The first thing Kat was aware of was the monster headache she had, perhaps a prelude to a migraine, judging by her response to the light and the birds' chirp. The second thing was that she was no longer drenched with rain and mud, though the dried earth caked on her skin was itching.

Kat's eyes flashed open.

Trees? Why in the nine hells were there trees around her? The training grounds had been treeless grass hills with no brush about, much less trees. It didn't make sense. By all rights, the squad should either be back on the training range or in a hospital. This place was upsetting everything according to her logical processing.

Sun rays lighting the dark patches of forest were not inviting at the least. Quite the contrary. It reminded her of when she was a little girl camping out under the stars with her big brothers.

_**&Since little Katherine had no friends of her own besides her imagination and her books, she took to following her two older brothers. The younger of the two teased her mercilessly. The elder was annoyed with her presence and had made it more than clear to her every time she was around. But try as both might, neither could overrule their mother's wish for the boys to play with their sister.**_

_**On a few occasions, the boys brought out the sleeping bags and slept outside in the backyard. Kat never wanted to be left out on anything and followed them with her own.**_

_**Late at night, when the wind moved through the trees and noises unheard during the day seep into a child's notice, strange things happen. Wicked kings and witch queens lurked just behind the house's corner, waiting for her to go to them and be captured. Darth Vader and other powerful evil were waiting behind the fence for some signal for an attack. Alligators from the sewer were creeping up the lawn to take a chunk out of her and her brothers.**_

_**Kat would curl further into her sleeping bag. She would have snuck closer to her brothers, but they scared her more than her imagination.**_

_**No matter how horrible the night, whenever her brothers went outside to sleep, Kat would always follow. You see, the thing that scares a child the most… is loneliness.&**_

Kat scanned the forest, seeing no signs of civilization save the rest of the squad. How were they going to react when they woke up? How was she going to take care of them without additional resources to rely on?

Wally!

Kat sat up none too gently, her head suddenly light and blacking out again. -_Not again! I'm staying awake, this time!_- Kat braced herself, finding that well-known reserve and relentlessly staying up while the darkness passed and her strength returned.

Scattered around her were the rest of the squad, each still unconscious. They needed to be treated, but first Kat needed to see about Wally's injury first. ABC's of higher priority – airway, breathing, circulation (and Wally fell under circulation potential – or lack of).

Her aid bag still on her back, she crawled towards the lean, fair figure that could only be Wally (Reggie was African-American, Newt was Asian-American, and Ty more resembled Schwarzenegger). She ripped opened the pant leg more to get a better look at the wounds. Her tourniquet was holding and the bleeding had stopped. She slipped off her aid bag and pulled out supplies. If the bleeding could be controlled by a simple pressure dressing, then so much the better. A tourniquet wasn't going to hurt him at this point, but if he didn't need one then why have one on. She dressed the wounds tightly and slowly loosened the tourniquet, assessing for any major bleeding.

-_Thank the heavens and earth, the bullet didn't touch the femur artery, vein, or nerve vessel-_ Kat thought as relief filled her at the lack of bleeding from either sites. Even the general public now knew what a gunshot to the leg in the right point – femoral artery – could do, thanks very much to 'Blackhawk Down'.

Kat untied the tourniquet completely, relieved at the lack of blood. The only thing now she needed to worry about was the possibility of shock. She had no blankets on hand, so Wally would just have to settle with his feet being higher than his head (made possible by letting him lay with his head pointing downhill).

"Wylde?" Reggie whispered. He looked around the habitat, in as much as shock as Kat was. "Where are we?" Even shaved of all hair, Reggie still reminded Kat of Chris Rock.

Kat's face arranged itself, staring at Reggie if saying, "Does it look like I know?!"

"Reggie," she said. "Help me here, battle." Kat was only one person and right now she had her hands full with Wally. Just because Wally's wounds weren't bleeding now didn't mean that they wouldn't later.

As Reggie came to her side, Kat's eyes briefly looked over the radio technician. "Are you okay, battle? Any hard breathing, light-headedness, nausea, pain?"

Reggie shook his head in the negative.

Kat took his hand and placed it on Wally's dressings. "I need to take a look at Newt and Ty, but I can't if I'm watching Wally. I've dressed the wounds tightly and elevated them. Watch for any bleeding." She gestured to the white wrapping. "Call before the bandages become more than halfway soaked. Call me if his breathing goes less than eight breathes per minute and/or if you can't feel a pulse."

Reggie nodded in understanding. Leaving Wally in Reggie's care, Kat made for the nearest of the last two.

Ty was lying prostrate against the large trunk of a tree four meters away. His pulse was strong and steady – good. If a pulse was present in his limbs, that meant he had good blood volume – meaning his heart was beating strong and there was no serious hemorrhaging. As she turned him over, she assessed for any blood or swelling (swelling is a possible indication of internal bleeding or broken bones).

"You awake, battle?" she asked Ty, shaking his shoulders. "Ty? Tyler?"

A half mumble, half moan escaped on an exhale – at least Ty was _somewhat_ responsive.

His breathing was sufficient and had good tidal volume and he had no signs of emergency – yet.

"Wy… Wyl…"

Kat turned towards Newt, who was attempting to sit up. Newt's eyes crossed and fluttered. Kat caught him before he could fall back.

"Come one, Newt." She rubbed her thumb against the base of the sternum (breast bone). He groaned, inhaling and gasping, but his eyes opened again. "Come one. Stay awake! You got to keep your eyes opened." If he had developed a concussion from hitting his head, him losing consciousness would only aid his brain and the rest of his body to shut down.

She grabbed the hose to his camelbak, splashing water against him. "Don't you dare give up."

"I'ma… wet. Is it flooding?"

"Stay awake, battle."

"Wylde?" said Ty.

"You okay, Ty?"

"Yeah. Newt?"

"He'll be okay. Just needs to stay awake." She slapped his cheek repeatedly. "Come on, Newt!"

"Ow!" Newt held his cheek.

"That's it. Stay awake," Kat said.

***

Eight. Freaking. Long. Hours.

Kat thanked whatever deity that had smiled down on her that she was stubborn. It was her pride and her stubbornness which refused to allow her to neither slow down nor give up. And the rewards for her determination were before her.

The danger time for a recession of a permanent concussion had passed and Newt was now in the clear. Taking Kat's advice, he was sitting against a tree – she would be thrice damned if she have him fainting from low blood pressure. But her medical order for him to sit didn't deter him from inspecting his weapon, surveying the woods about, or giving commands.

Kat allowed herself a ghost of a smile. Newt was just as stubborn as she was – not stupid, just plan stubborn. It seemed that nothing stopped him. It still tickled her how he laughed off how the commander had mispronounced his name and called out 'Newton' instead of 'Nguyen' (pronounced 'wen'). Unfortunately, the name stuck and everyone took to calling him 'Newt', though he was quite tall. It was endearing how he had such a sense of humor.

Wally was now and again shifting and swinging his injured leg, though not putting any weight on it – again, per Kat's orders (at least not unless in immediate danger). He needed to keep circulation in his leg, but not to the point where it started bleeding again. After all – if she could prevent the injury/disease, the prevention would save her loads of time for more urgent needs.

Ty was a bit stiff, but Kat could find nothing wrong with the stiffness save that however the group had arrived had given him a blow – not as bad as Newt, but still a blow. He would now and again rub his neck, but would then again scan the woods from his self-determined outpost.

Reggie – oddly enough – and Kat were the only ones among the five that hadn't suffered from the blast. He was still messing around with the radio, checking that blasted machine over and time again. There was still no signal, much less a transmissions. After a half hour or so, there was another succession of mumbled curses coming from Reggie as he fumbled with that radio. There was at least one thing the group agreed upon when it came to that outdated piece of junk – it was precisely that!

What was strangest of all was though all of them had been exposed to the blast, not one of them suffered any blast injuries. No one was burned. No one had penetrating injuries, besides Wally's leg – which had nothing to do with the blast. She had seen the results of IEDs and mortar rounds, and this was almost like it hadn't even touched them, as if the blast never happened.

Kat allowed a sigh to escape as she leaned back against her chosen tree and felt sleep taunt her. Oh, how seducing the spell of dreams is! It wraps around and enfolds you, promising every sweet wish.

All the same, Kat wasn't going to let herself sleep until she had the approval of her higher command. She might be needed for her skills or to keep perimeter security.

"Wylde?" said Newt, calling her attention and motioning for her to approach.

She quickly got up and joined Newt at his tree. What did he want?

Newt took one look at her next to him and then back at his weapon. "Get some sleep."

Kat nodded. "Yes, sergeant. When would you want me to pull guard duty?"

"You'll be waked when you shift starts."

Kat accepted this answer as easily as she would accept an order. It was how she had been trained – unless it was just plain wrong, if higher command said something it was law. She may not like it, but she had no reason to disobey.

This time, Kat yielded to sleep's temptation. She still kept a grip on her M-16, but she relaxed her body as much as possible. She had faith in her comrades – like her, they too were trained to do their job. She wouldn't let her squad down, and her squad wouldn't let her down.

Her breathing slowed as her heart rate did the same – letting herself enter her dreams.

But that didn't ease her distrust for this forest.

***

Without fail, Kat woke up a little before sunrise. While in her own bed, she could sleep for days on end. But get her into nature – out into the wild without anything like a bed – and she would always be up before the sun. That and her bladder was now stretching to test its limits.

The sky beyond the thick branches were giving off a slight, yet growing, glow – Kat's only indication of time.

Wally was now at post, showing signs of weariness. He was leaning against a tree as so not to put any unwanted weight on his leg. His weapon was at low-ready (his hands on the shaft and handle of the weapon as if to fire, but the barrel faced down to the ground) and as he shook his head to ward off sleep, the realization sunk in.

No one had come to wake her up. Rich had not intended for her to pull shift. Part of her expected such. She had heard stories from instructors and peers with similar skills how detachments were always babying the medical personnel. But still, Kat considered herself a soldier and was ready – if not eager – to pull her weight.

She bit her tongue before she could become angry. Now was not a time to be irrational. The squad was in an unknown location, in an unknown situation, and with a possibly unknown culture nearby.

Kat suppressed the threatening smirk. _-'Unknown culture nearby'? Kudos on the wild imagination.-_

She tapped Wally on the shoulder. "I'm going to the latrine," she briefly informed.

Wally nodded his head. "Challenge is blue. Pass is moon. Running is fifteen."

Kat nodded as she strode out of sight.

To others, Wally's statement wouldn't make one ounce of sense. It was simple, really. Whenever someone approached, the watch would yell out a statement that contained a challenge word – like 'blue' – and the person approaching would either say something that contained the password – such as 'moon' – or else be either captured or shot at. It was a very effective way to distinguish friend from foe. But sometimes there might be times when a soldier needs immediate safety and can't bother himself with the challenge or the password. That's where the running password came into effect – run in, yelling something – like 'fifteen'.

It was a system that kept friends alive and the perimeter secured.

Kicking the dirt over her waste – just to hide the smell in case any predators were nearby – Kat returned quickly.

"You look blue," called Wally.

"I was watching the moon," she answered. "Go and rest. I'll take the rest of your shift."

Wally hesitated. True, he was tired, but from what happened yesterday, he had found a new respect for their 'doc'. It wouldn't be fair, considering how long she worked yesterday.

The title 'doc' didn't specifically mean a doctor – but more alluded to someone who could patch you up and could always be relied on. A soldier might call anyone from a frontline medic to a surgeon in an out-of-theater hospital 'doc', just as long as he/she did their job with everything he/she had.

Wally shook his head. "Not that tired," he said, only to yawn the next moment.

"I can see that," said Kat, crossing her arms.

Wally started to squirm under her gaze and she was beginning to think what she had overheard in the cafeteria two days ago was true – her gaze could scare people till there was nothing left in their gastrointestinal tract.

"Sleep. Now."

Wally threw up his arms in defeat. "Alright…" He picked up his pistol belt and made for the first tree to sit against. "Worse than my mother," he mumbled.

Other than the tugs on the ends of her lips, Kat showed no sign that she had overheard him.

"Good kid," she muttered as she switched her weapon from safe to semi-automatic.

***

Newt had been peeved when he found Kat on guard instead of Wally, but had been forced to concede when she had pointed out that someone awake and alert (even if not scheduled) was far preferred to one trying to ward off the 'Z' monster. After all, this wasn't a simulation drill – every action was vital towards surviving this place.

That led to another subject – where were they?

During a brief council, it was immediately unanimous that they were not anywhere near base any more – and this was no dream, not unless everyone was having the same one. And Kat highly doubted that.

The meeting had been brief for one reason; no one had any knowledge on where they were or how they came to be here.

Newt sighed as he digested this information. "Then the only thing we can do is try to find a town or something like that and figure out everything else from there. We'll go west till we hit something."

"Why west?" Ty asked.

Newt shrugged. "Why not? We have no idea where we are, so might as well pick some direction or another. As the man said, 'Go west, young man. Go west'."

The corners of Kat's mouth tugged as she pushed the threatening smile away. -_Leave it to Newt… only he would do something like that.-_

"West it is," Kat agreed.

***

They slowly marched west in a file, Newt taking the lead as he was the squad leader. Wally, who was limping as fast as possible, followed closely. Next was Kat, who – because of her medical training – was deemed the most valuable and was placed in the middle for the maximum amount of protection. Reggie followed, still mumbling curses due to the fact that Newt wouldn't allow him to throw the worthless mess of wires away. Ty finished the file, many times was walking backwards as to guard the rear.

Whether squad leader or rear defense or simple medical personnel, they all kept ears and eyes opened to the surrounding forest. Each had their weapons set on semi-automatic, just in case they were in need to fight. It was engrained in their minds not to assume anything was safe. Between terrorism and all out war, leading a soldier's life was dangerous and they were a constant target – whether in the States or deployed.

Kat's eyes scanned the forest, a knot formed solid in her stomach. The dark forest – which reminded her of the descriptions of the Black Forest in Germany – seemed to taunt her in a way that she didn't like.

Once in a while, beyond the bleakness, Kat could see very dark squirrels – black squirrels. The squirrels' eyes would glow yellow, almost red, towards the group, causing the knot in her stomach tighten (if that was even possible). The only two reasons why she said nothing about it was that she had never heard of squirrels being dangerous and squirrels were supposedly common place in forests.

About midday, Newt called the group to a halt and they rested.

Wally went off to relieve himself. -_Poor kid_- she thought. -_He's too young to be exposed to this.-_

Kat pulled out the hose to her camelbak and began to sip what she could. Water was important to the human body. Of course, water did help, considering she was a red-head and had a tendency to overheat.

"Hey, Wylde," Reggie whispered. "You're hanging in there?"

Kat nodded briefly. "You?"

Reggie nodded, as she knew he would. She hadn't asked out of health issues. She had asked to get the attention off of her – she couldn't _stand_ the babying.

Wally limped back with a glow in his eyes and smile on his lips.

"Sergeant," he said, "I found a river about ten meters out."

-_A river?! Great! Where there is water, there's civilization_- Kat thought.

_**/…Civilization, I'll stay right here!/**_

-_Note to self: ease off on the Broadway musicals.-_

The group shared that same enthusiastic look, though Kat reframed from smiling – she wouldn't until something useful came out of this new find.

The other four followed as Wally limped towards this 'river'. What they found was something else.

It was big. It was wet. It was flowing. But Kat had a feeling it wasn't water.

Debris washed against the banks – Kat was sure she even saw some poor creature's body. The trees' roots lining the banks were pulled up away, as if trying to flee the liquid. She didn't even like the dark color to it. At one end of the river, where a ray of sunlight had pierced the canopy, she could make out whatever it was to be _black_!

Black forest, black squirrels, black rivers… Kat definitely didn't like this trend.

Reggie shook his head. "We won't find anybody with this."

"We won't be able to even drink it," Ty said.

"Nice try, anyway, Wall," Kat said.

"Well, at least we found _something_," Newt said. "The question now is – do we follow it or cross it?"

Something, maybe some powers that be, maybe a soldier's training, maybe female intuition – but _something_ – focused her attention upward.

It had eight legs and was the size of a hum-v and had glowing eyes, staring straight down at her group. As it started down on its own silk thread, other like kind followed.

-_Oh, freakin' eggnog!-_

"Newt," she said, his name catching in her throat.

Newt's gaze went from her stricken expression and followed her gaze. "Oh, f#%! MOVE!"

The other three looked up and cursed. They all moved to a different position, forming a small, circular perimeter, without word or command. Kat dropped to her knee as so she could gain a steadier position without compromising targeting accessibility.

The creatures came down, all around, closing on their prey. Kat personally didn't mind the chain of prey and predator (food chain) – what bothered her was these things were coming after _them_.

Kat wasn't sure if it was an order or someone fired first and set loose a wave of ammo, but all the same the firing started.

Kat aimed for the closest spider and fired. The spider reared, the round stinging it if nothing else, and then continued towards them. Kat fired again. The spider fell – permanently this time.

_-Okay… I've hit something vital – but what is it?-_

Kat's eyes narrowed as she shot another creature. A shot to the hind body didn't produce any desire results – but a shot to below the… jaw? There was a reason why she didn't do well in zoology. Human anatomy and physiology were much easier to study.

"Aim below the pinchers!" Kat yelled.

The rest must have listened, for the number of dead… spiders (?)… were increasing.

The sound of ammunition clapping was only second to the wails and hissings of… of… whatever they were. Kat swallowed as her magazine emptied and she let it drop to the ground. Her hands trembled as extracted another from one of her ammo pouches and reloaded. These things were coming in too close for Kat's comfort, and dropping dead only a couple of meters away. Maybe the fear came from those movies where the bad guys had to be killed two or three times before actually dying – just to have a sequel for them to come back.

A spider was climbing over the dead body of one of its fellow species – just for Kat to shoot it down. Some were descending from above.

The spiders, though still dying, were closing in on them – only a few feet away.

_-Oh man! I want to see my next birthday!-_

Something hissed directly above Kat.

She looked up just as a spider prepared to sting her. Kat swung her weapon, hoping to shoot it before it got her.

Something gave a high-pitched cry and knocked the spider away.

Kat's eyes widened. It was larger than a med-evac chopper. Another one came and knocked another spider. In the darkness, Kat could make out the silhouettes of large birds.

The spiders started running… er… crawling… away. Whatever these newcomers were, Kat was thankful. And from the look on her comrades' faces, they were too.

Newt watched, opened mouth, the tree line where the creature had disappeared. His arms were slack at his side, still holding the forgotten M-16. Wally's grip, on the other hand, was deathly tight, especially on the trigger handle. By the way Wally's eyes darted around, Kat guessed he was paranoid of another attack.

Kat's muscles, once fluid and filled with adrenaline, were now frozen in place. She had never seen spiders that big. No species of spider could possibly grow that large. Correction - only in fictional stories such as 'Lord of the Rings' or 'Harry Potter' had she ever seen such arachnids. But those stories weren't real - they couldn't be.

But there still was the fact that gigantic spiders had just attacked the squad. She couldn't deny that.

Unless those things weren't really spiders. Perhaps they were some form of undiscovered species altogether. She had heard that some species, even monkeys, were apt somewhere in genetics to grow extra digits, which would explain the eight legs. And even if they were really spiders, then perhaps they were forced into conditions that made it mandatory to evolve to such proportions to survive. There were rumors of camel spiders growing as large as half a man, when held by it hind legs. Really - if somewhere in the depths of the ocean there were fish that had thin sharp teeth and knobs on their foreheads that produced light to attract females, then why couldn't a spider grow to a size to make Andre the Giant seem like a hobbit?

Kat's muscles relaxed slightly and her eyes scanned the woods around, still unnerved. It was all too familiar - dark forests, black squirrels, mucky rivers, eagles larger than her unit's busted helicopter and spiders the size of tanks.

-_Eat your heart out, J.R.R. Tolkien.-_ Kat chuckled silently to herself as she thought this. She had to admit it, when it came to fictional/reality orientation, Kat had a wild imagination. Really, thinking she had literally stumbled into Middle-Earth? She wasn't stupid. Those 'Mary-Sue' fictions of waking up in Mirkwood and being rescued from a bunch of Orcs by a certain handsome elf prince were all sweet and everything, but were far from practical or belief. She'd be more than hallucinating if she believed it - she'd be delusional.

Kat's muscle relaxed completely and she smiled to herself. Her first battle and still had her sense of humor - not bad. She focused on her M-16, switching the selector switch back to safe. She didn't want to accidentally shoot one of her comrades.

Kat caught Newt's eyes and smiled. Newt's dumbstruck gaze cleared as a similar smile formed. The worry on his brow smoothed away and the twinkle in his eyes returned. The smiles turned to grins, to chuckles. The others turned towards the sound. Their amazed faces eased and joined in the laughter. Wally eased the grip on his trigger handle and nervously chuckled, wiping away the sweat on his forehead.

"Right," Newt said. "Everyone all right?"

Each answered with either a smile or a nod. Newt looked around at each member of the squad, accounting for each one.

"We're all here," he finalized. "Do we have everything? Kevlar (A/N: helmets)? Weapons? Water? Radio? Packs?"

Kat nodded and patted the bulk in her pack and aid bag as Newt listed the last item.

"Right. Then let's get out of here. Nine o'clock. One thousand meters."

-_What is it with him and the direction west?-_ Kat readjusted her pack, falling into the formation in the second firing line. Even with a fifty-pound pack on her back, she kept up with the rest who were running the thousand meters west. Kat was careful to keep her place in the formation. One of the last things she wanted was for Ty to ask her if she was all right or if the pack was too heavy. She had her pride to defend.

The weapon at low ready, Kat kept the pace, picking out the easiest route where the least amount of branches obscured the way. In the corner of her eye, she could see Reggie trying to cope with the speed and carrying the radio simultaneously. Not for the first time, Kat felt sorry that Reggie had to carry the radio and would have offered to carry it for him, but Kat's pack was heavy enough with the medical kit - about twenty-five pounds by itself.

Kat's feet slipped and slid inside the boots, making finding good footing even harder. -_And the army used to make soldiers run around constantly in these things? I'd like to personally meet the genius who designed these things.-_

_**/… Cause we'll put a boot up your ass; it's the American way… **_

_**And Uncle Sam put your name on the top of his list…**_

_**and the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist… **_

_**And the eagles will fly and its gonna be hell… **_

_**when you hear Mother Freedom ringing her bell… **_

_**And it'll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you… **_

_**Brought to you courtesy of the red, white, and blue… /**_

-_Thank you, Toby Keith. I couldn't have put it better.-_

The point man kept the nine o'clock bearing, heading straight up a steep hill. -_Oh no…-_ Kat groaned silently. -_There goes breakfast.-_ Kat forgot about focusing on Reggie in front, keeping up next to Wally, or even staying in front of Ty. Now she really wanted to beat up the person who designed the boots. -_Augh!-_ She caught herself from falling under the weight of the rucksack, one hand letting go of her weapon. -_Just as well add whoever designed this aid bag or said we had to carry the weapon at low ready.-_ Kat's eyes focused on the rising slope before her. Each foot struggled to support her and the additional weight.

-_Augh!-_ A branch caught on her rucksack, jerking her back. Kat's body slammed against a tree, stopping her from rolling down the hill. -_I'm gonna kill the guy who made up these packs.-_

Kat pulled herself away from the tree and started up again, ignoring the concerned look Ty was giving her.

Up ahead, she could see Wally, Reggie, and Newt coming to a clearing (Ty remained behind her), halting before them. They weren't ducking down low? They weren't seeing if the area was secured?

Kat caught up and halted, staring dumbly at the scene before her, just like the others.

The top of the hill was cleared of trees, giving a full view of the expanded forest below. The top of the trees were greener and thicker than the forests in Washington. It stretched on and on till the stopped at the base of mountains she never thought possible.

Kat had been raised in the Rock Mountains, and was used to seeing large, jagged mountains covered with snow. But this? Those mountains before her stood out more than Mt. Rainier or Mt. St. Helen's. The snow on those mountains were so white, so unblemished, more so than Colorado or the Wasatch Mountains. And the mist about them…

"Now those are some misty mountains," Kat said in a low voice.

But that low voice didn't stop from the others from overhearing.

Newt's eyes widened. "Misty… Mountains?" He mumbled a bit. "Spiders, eagles, misty mountains… Mirkwood."

"Huh?" the other four said.

Newt shrugged. "After I took my little girl to see 'Lord of the Rings', she started to become obsessed and would tell me everything she could get her hands on about Middle-Earth."

All the familiarities that had haunted the back of her mind were now crashing through.

"No!" she said, covering her mouth as quickly as the word came out.

Kat rubbed her mouth with her open palm, taking in her surroundings. This was all too strange to be real, yet her mind told her that she wasn't dreaming or unconscious.

Middle-Earth? Was that even possible? Could she and her detachment have found a link between her world and this one?

No… it couldn't be. Tolkien had created and written this place - purely fictional. There was no such thing as magic… only logic and science. Everything had an explanation, and this shouldn't be an exception.

And yet here were the Misty Mountains in front of her, real as the uniform on her back. Perhaps when the flares and bullets exploded, Kat had received such as shock that it threw her into a coma and this was simply another odd dream.

_**&Kat always had odd dreams. Once she dreamt that she was in her bed when the door opened and five or six black figures entered with drawn swords. Ringwraiths first entered her mind. But when she saw that they glided above the ground, she determined they were some mix between Ringwraiths and 'Harry Potter' Dementors. Kat backed away as an ancient fear seizing through her. The door was blocked and the only window she had was already blocked away by the R/D dudes. Kat backed into the corner, noticing that there was nothing in her room. She had nothing to fight with and nothing to help her run. She was in a corner, unarmed, surrounded by a bunch a freaky hooded guys with swords who could not be reasoned or pleaded with, and as they poised their swords to strike, Kat knew she was worse than dead. That was then she was unapologetically wakened by her younger sister, who had come to the kitchen to get something to eat (and since Kat's bedroom was a broom closet next to the kitchen, Kat couldn't help but to wake at the bright glare).&**_

Kat rubbed her forehead, bringing herself back to the present. Hiding in the past wouldn't help her deal with the problem at hand.

Middle-Earth? How could something so ridiculous feel so real?

Kat gapped at the mountains once more.

_**/"I'm Dorothy Gail, from Kansas."/**_

"Impossible…" muttered Ty, taking in the forest and the distant snow-covered mountains.

"Not exactly true," said Reggie.

"Huh?" said the other four.


	4. That's an EyeOpener

**Chapter 4:**

**That's an Eye Opener**

"One more time… this time in English," said Ty.

Reggie sighed, looking down at the ground as his hands rested on his knees. "Okay… let's try it this way. I'm assuming you already know about atoms. You know – electrons, protons, neutrons, etc."

Ty nodded. He might have been a jock throughout his entire public school existence, but he wasn't dumb.

"Okay… let's just get it out of the way and say that everything is made up of atoms. That includes us. So, going back to the atomic make up…"

Ty scrunched up his face.

Reggie sighed and explained, "What an atom is made of." Ty's eyebrows rose in understanding. "You know it's made up of electrons, protons, and neutrons. And all those are actually positively or negatively charged energy. Now you know that we are made up of energy.

"Now, what happened before we came here was an explosion – a displacement in energy. It is not impossible for that energy from the explosion had an effect of us. I really don't know how – but I do know that the energy from the explosion and the energy that founds our biological make up canceled each other out – creating a void and effectively terminating us.

"But how can something not exist when it did already?" said a softy voice. The other four turned to Wally, who sat Indian style with his rifle across his lap. His head was down, playing with a bit of grass, with a sad look in his eyes.

Reggie smiled. "I was getting to that. Creating a void goes against one of Newton's laws. I won't quote it word for word, but it basically states that no element – or atom – can ever be destroyed. But there is a loop hole. We were not destroyed. We were – displaced.

"Displaced to a place that is supposed to be purely fictional?" said Kat.

"Well… I don't know how _this_ world exists with our knowledge of it in our own world. But it's plainly obvious that it exists all the same. If you're looking for answers to how we know, go dig up old John Ronald Reuel!"

"Who?"

"J. R. R. Tolkien."

"And you just expect us to believe that there are things called alternate worlds," Ty said skeptically.

Reggie rolled his eyes and muttered underneath his breath. Kat was the closest and able to hear him say, "I doubt you made it pass chemistry, much less studied quantum physics."

Kat shrugged at this new information. "So, is there any way to go back to our world?"

Reggie shrugged. "It's possible, but highly unlikely. We could try simulating the same energy displacement in hopes it would send us back to home. I might warn you that there is no guarantee that _if it worked_ we would go back home. We'd probably end up in a different world altogether."

"So in the mean time, we might want to find out where exactly we are and when we are," Kat said slowly.

Wally looked up. "Why do you say that?"

Kat started picking underneath her fingernails, as they had become very fascinating at the moment. "Because it could help us avoid areas that are battling, enemies, accidentally breaking a law, and – if we come in contact with any one – know what we can and cannot say."

Newt looked up at her as his eyebrow's knitted. "Why do you say that?"

Kat shrugged, not really in the mood to explain the concept of 'Mary-Sue'. So, instead, she said, "Try imagining living in a place that was in the middle of a great war, someplace that has seen death by the thousands. It's a place that has power as simple as a bow and arrow – or as powerful as the powers that be (in this case being Eru, the Valar, and the Maiar). You have defeated an evil Vala (the equivalent of a saint or an archangel gone bad, or a meaner, more violent version of Satan), just to be replaced by a powerful and evil Maia (kind of like a regular fallen angel, who just got this obsessive power hunger and control issues). Your people are afraid, though they keep on fighting with as little hope as they have. The land is sparsely inhabited, and warriors dwindle with war. You don't know whether or not you'll live from day to day. Then, out of the blue, someone comes and tells you what is going to happen, something bad. Wouldn't you try to stop it from happening – even if that something bad made it possible for something good to happen?"

Newt grinned. "I think you and my daughter would have gotten along well," he said, his eyes watering as he said it.

Kat could hit herself! Newt was a family man – but by being here, he would probably never see his wife or his daughter again!

Kat opened her mouth, trying to think of something to say. She was taught never to give false hope and never make promises that couldn't be fulfilled. Something was nagging at the back of her mind, but she was lost.

"We're not dead yet," said Wally. "That means there's still a chance to get back."

_-Thank you, Wallison. You said what I couldn't._-

Kat looked around the group. Newt had lost his wife and daughter. Reggie left behind his fiancée – they were going to marry in less than a month. Wally lost his parents and his siblings. And Ty lost his battle buddies; friends he had known since basic training and some before even then.

"So, where to?" Kat asked, trying for a diversion from all this emotion.

Newt eyes lowered to the ground, taking a stick in his hand and digging it into the dirt. He remained silent for a minute, though his eyes betrayed him. They showed sadness, but also determination. When he looked up, his eyes settled on Kat.

"You know a lot about this place, don't you?" he said – a statement, not a question.

Uneasy with the gaze of all the squad upon her, Kat merely shrugged. "What do you want to know?"

"Where would be the safest place for us?"

Kat shrugged again. "I don't know, since I don't know when we are."

"You have no idea?"

"Well, since we're in Mirkwood, and it is infested with spiders, I can give you an approximate two thousand year window. This is sometime between 1050 Third Age and the last battle of the War of the Ring in 3019 Third Age. There are quite a number of events that happened between the two dates."

Reggie spoke up. "Such as…"

"Such as the foundation of the kingdom of Rohan and its alliance with Gondor, the coming of the Istari – otherwise known as wizards, like Gandalf and Saruman – the return of the Nazgul, the migration of Hobbits to Eriador and to Bree, Smeagol finding the Ring and hiding in the Misty Mountains, the torture of Celebrain (Elrond's wife) and her sailing to the undying lands, the end of the line of Anarion (Isildur's brother – hence making the heir of Isildur {Arnor} also the heir of Anarion {Gondor}), Thorin Oakenshield and company coming to Mirkwood, Bilbo finding the Ring, and those are only a sample of the major events," Kat finished. "Do you wish me to continue?"

Reggie, Wally, Ty, and Newt all looked at her, as if to say, "Are you kidding?! No!"

"Then we'll have to make for civilization, like we previously planned," said Reggie. "If we get the exact date, would you be able to tell us what to expect?"

Kat nodded.

Newt nodded, abandoning his stick and standing up straight. "Which direction, milady?" he said with a smirk.

Kat cocked an eyebrow, as if to say, "Cut the 'lady' crap!" Her face then eased into a sly grin. She answered, "West."

***

They kept up a march westward, stopping every now and again. During the breaks, Kat checked on the squad, more specifically Wally. Wally's wound was healing, but the pace was giving him pain. If it weren't for the threat of spiders, Kat would have talked to Newt about making camp while Wally healed. Until they were cleared of the forest, Kat kept near the youngest and was ready to offer him her shoulder as a crutch whenever the pain became too great.

When the day ended, everyone took a shift – this time Newt didn't leave her out. He had learned his lesson; she was a soldier and would be treated as such. It became a ritual over the course of a week, with the only landmark to follow was towards the mountains.

Kat had reasoned the direction west, since if they could see the mountains, then by logic they were closest to the western border. And the sooner they got out of this dark, dank, spider infested forest, the better – and not just for Wally's sake.

_**/And we're just going to leave those hobbits here, in this, dark, dank, tree infested… I mean charming, quite charming, forest./**_

After the eighth day full of marching, Kat flopped down to the ground, resting and relieving herself of her pack. She grabbed the hose to her camelbak and moistened her lips, but no more than that. Water was scarce and the only water source they had found was that 'river', and no fool alive would drink from _that_.

As she looked at her companions, she wondered how they would make it out without water. They had already gone eight days, and all of them were on the last bit of water reserves in their second canteens. Four days ago, Kat had emptied her IV fluid reserves and given each of the squad a full liter of normal saline fluid intravenously. If they didn't find a potable water source soon… She wasn't one to pray all that often (stubborn independency being the cause), but she was praying fervently that they reached some water source or _someone_ before they all collapsed from dehydration and become spider feed.

Her companions were at various stages of growing beards (except Wally, who still had a baby face); Newt stubble forming an emperor's beard, Reggie's curls becoming fuzz, and Ty's was nearly a full beard. Their nearly bald heads were growing hair, and Kat had a hunch they would all soon be very hairy men. Kat, herself, knew her hair was growing. Her hair once again was becoming wild curls and she could feel the difference. It did grow impossibly fast. She had cut it ear-length when entering high school. Before her junior year, it had grown to the middle of her back.

She couldn't blame the males for the smell – she was just as bad in that department. But then, what did one expect after a week of fighting and hiking with no bathing whatsoever? There wasn't exactly a convenience store around to buy deodorant from.

Kat leaned against the tree behind her and closed her eyes. The hiking and the lack of water was wearing her thin to her breaking point. Heaven help her if that happened. True, she would first rather drop down dead before giving up, but everyone did have a breaking point.

She listened as the wind played through the branches and sang softly through the air. It was beautiful, graceful, and all together haunting. She could hear the song turn into notes and turn into words

Words!

Kat's eyes snapped open and bolted to her feet. She turned, listening for the direction the sound was coming from.

"Wylde?"

Kat put a finger to her lips, intent on the sound. She closed her eyes, finding the source's direction.

"Wylde?" Ty spoke again, this time in a whisper.

Kat stared into the woods, seeing nothing but the blackness, but knowing there was more to the dark than the lack of light.

"We're not alone…"

_**/"Yes… I can smell it. We're not alone."/**_

Kat may have been a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them. She knew they were in a forest inhabited by elves. She knew that elves were prone to singing, especially to Elbereth, more commonly known as Varda (spouse of Manwe, the mightiest of the Valar). She knew – by Bilbo's account – that the elves of Mirkwood would go out of their caves once in a while and party. And, by that logic, she knew she heard elves!

If these elves were anything like the ones Thorin Oakenshield and company ran across, it would be safer if she and her companions avoided them all together. If the squad did run across them, chances would be they would get arrows pointed in the faces and a dark dungeon as a new address. They would avoid them and all would be safe.

Kat had a bad history with jinxes.

Kat took one step towards the music. She was met with the point of an arrow and what was mostly definitely an elf glaring at her. She took a step back to view her situation, but he didn't allow the room and took a step forward.

Kat didn't dare to look away; she knew the moment she looked away, she would never be able to match his stare again. But not being able to look away took away the ability look to the others.

From her peripheral view, she could make out other elves, but nothing of her companions. As for the elf in front of her, his glowing blond hair and surreal face had arranged themselves to form a terrible wrath. From his cold eyes, Kat could guess that he wouldn't hesitate to kill. And, from the look of his build, she had no doubts he could do that without any weapons.

She should have been scared, by all rights. But she wasn't. Kat may not have had all the cards, but she knew she still had some. And she would play hers when she needed them.

The elf circled Kat, and she choose not to respond. He pushed her down to her knees and she waited. She wasn't afraid. On the contrary, it was her nerves that kept her still and relaxed. The elf pushed her again, this time her head hit the forest floor. His foot remained on her back, ensuring her position.

Since all she heard from her companions was the occasional 'ooph', she assumed they were also in similar positions.

The scenery began to light up as something glowing approached. Not glowing as in an everyday elf glowing. It was more 'Gandalf lighting up Dwarrowdelf (a.k.a. Khazad-dum)' glowing.

As Kat looked up, she was immediately blinded by the figure entering the circle of trees. As the light receded and she was able to make out the figure, Kat breathed a sigh of relief.

It was _her_.


	5. Conversations with the Lord and Lady or

**Chapter 5:**

**Conversations with the Lord and Lady (or How the Beat Up a Mardwarden)**

For as vague as Tolkien's description of her was, it fit her to a tee. She was indeed tall, tall as the elf next to her (who she assumed to be Celeborn). The two were, indeed, grave and beautiful.

_**/…They were clad wholly in white; and the hair of the Lady was of deep gold, and the hair of the Lord Celeborn was of silver long and bright; but no sign of age was upon them, unless it were in the depths of their eyes; for these were keen as lances in the starlight, and yet profound, the wells of deep memory…/**_

_-If and when I ever get back home, I'm digging up ol' J.R.R. and demanding some answers. He knew! That son of a jackal KNEW!-_

Kat watched as Galadriel surveyed the group, without pity, without remorse. For some reason, that made her mad!

Wally cried out in pain. Images of what the elves could be doing to him flashed through her mind.

"Get away from him, you Orc!" she yelled. "Can't you tell he's already hurt?"

The elf that was holding her down kicked her head. _-Thank goodness for Kevlar.-_ She would have been rendered unconscious if she didn't have it on. Kat was seeing white spots. Her head was ringing, but her rage was nowhere near abated. It only increased three fold.

Kat suddenly rolled to the side, grabbing her captor's foot and using it as leverage to bring him down. He kicked, his toe clipping the tip of her chin, making her even angrier. She brought up her leg and kicked his back in the kidney region.

Kat stood up, jumping as he tried to take out her feet. He began to stand. Kat swung her leg to hit the side of his head. He caught it before it could make contact, using her leg as leverage and throwing her down. With one swift move, he was over her and ready to deliver a mean punch to her face.

"Marchwarden," Galadriel said, her voice deep and making Kat shudder.

Her captor – the Marchwarden – froze in place. He looked towards the Lady of Light, who was unsuccessfully hiding a smile. The Marchwarden grabbed Kat's shoulders and pulled her up, twisting her arms behind her.

Kat now had an opportunity to look around her. Her companions were prostrate on the ground, watching her with wide eyes. Wally's face was contorted with pain, since the elf that was holding him down was digging the point of his bow into his wounded leg.

"Stop that, you Orc!" Kat yelled at Wally's captor. "He's hurt enough as it is!"

Kat's captor let go, just to slap her – hard. Kat fell, holding the part of her face that was stinging from his back hand. She looked up at him, glaring, not allowing him to bet her. She would rather be damned twice over before she let any male think that a simple slap would shut up _this_ female. She stood again, not caring about anything but glaring at this elf.

"Haldir," Galadriel spoke again, "before you strike again, I should warn you how striking her again would reflect on your character."

The Marchwarden – Haldir – froze as his eyes widened.

"Her?"

Kat took the opportunity, while the Marchwarden froze in place, and stormed toward Wally's capture. She pushed him off and kneeled down to look at his leg.

"Battle, I need you to roll over," she said. Wally groaned as he did as he was told.

"Release them, Marchwarden," said Celeborn. "They have no wish to harm us."

Haldir grunted and gestured for his soldiers to back off.

Kat peered through the already torn pants, cursing silently at the reopened wound. She had a good mind to break that elf's nose.

Ty, Reggie, and Newt carefully stood up, testing out their limbs to see if anything was broken. Newt glanced toward Kat, who was reaching for her bag and taking out some more bandages.

"How's the leg?" Newt asked.

Without looking up, Kat answered tersely, "It's bleeding." She mentally cursed Haldir and the elf who reopened Wally's wound.

Newt stood up straight, nodding his head towards the lord and lady in acknowledgment. "I'm Sergeant First Class Houng Nguyen, leader of this squad," he introduced, not in any mood to thank them for the squad's release – after all, the squad had done no harm and these elves had assaulted more than one of their own.

The lord and lady looked to each other, asking each other silent questions, and then back to Newt. Galadriel's gaze bore into Newt, and he looked away.

"This is our radio technician, Staff Sergeant Jamaal Reggory," he said, gesturing towards Reggie. Reggie nodded in acknowledgment. "Our infantry soldiers, Sergeant Michael Tyler and Private First Class David Wallison – who is currently on his back. And the one treating Wally and glaring at your Marchwarden is Sergeant Katherine Wylde, our medic."

Celeborn's eyebrows rose. "Clarify radio technician, infantry, and medic."

Newt shrugged, not knowing how to explain. He turned towards Kat, who had just finished redressing and bandaging Wally's wound and currently talking to the boy about resting and using the leg.

"Wylde," Newt called.

Kat looked up, her eyes narrowing as she looked from the lord and lady back to her commanding NCO (non-commissioned officer). She was both curious why Newt had called her and suspicious of the two ancients. It was safe to say that this first contact with elves did not lay any favorable foundations for trust.

Telling Wally she would be right back, Kat joined Newt. "Yes, Sergeant?"

"Explain to them the meaning of radio technician, infantry, and medic," he ordered.

Kat let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding and glanced towards the elves. "A radio technician is the equivalent of a messenger. Infantry are warriors. And medics are healers."

Galadriel glanced towards Wally. "A warrior? But he's just a boy."

"You think I haven't noticed?"

Galadriel's eyes narrowed and began piercing her mind. Kat could feel another presence in her mind. Her jaw locked, as she could feel her temper rise. Her mind was exactly that, and she felt violated. Was this elleth out to see Kat's limits?

_-You want to see, do you? Well, then, go ahead!-_

Kat threw open every door in her mind, pulling Galadriel to her dark corners, secrets, fears, and fights. She let the elleth see wounds she treated, deaths she witnessed. The shrapnel embedded into men and children. Bodies that were missing hands, legs, arms, feet, and sometimes even heads. The explosions and the screams.

Galadriel pulled away, eyes wide and carrying an expression that bordered surprise and fear. She retreat a step, gaining the attention of her husband.

Haldir noted his lady's reaction and followed her gaze towards the mortal female. He stepped between Galadriel and Kat, his hand firmly on his sword. "What did you do?" he hissed.

Kat merely cocked her eyebrow. "She wished to see. I showed her. She should not have entered when she well knows the consequences!"

Galadriel regained her composure. "It is usual for one to guard themselves. But this was unexpected."

Kat arranged her face, as if to say, "No kidding." Kat had surmised that Galadriel was met so many that tried to keep her out, that she was used to it. By logic, an open admittance and control was the best defense against a telepath, especially if that telepath happened to be Galadriel.

"And you, a woman, have also seen battle?" Galadriel said with a little wonder in her voice.

"Deployed to Iraq? Yes. In close proximity to a hot zone? Yes. Doing the actual killing? No," I explained. "I was busy cleaning up the mess the kids were making while playing soldiers and getting themselves blown and shot up."

It was true. Kat had been deployed. She had worked with a forward surgical team not ten miles from the main fire zone. She might not have participated in the killing, but Kat had heard and felt the explosions and gunfire while she ate, slept, and tried to put young boys back together again (luckily she was no king's horse or king's man – and those soldiers certainly weren't humpty-dumpy).

Celeborn spoke up, "No offense intended, Lady Katherine –"

"My name is Wylde," she interrupted.

"If I may be so forward as to observe you and your companions appear rather worse for wear," he continued.

Newt spoke up before Kat could allow her temper to override her sensibilities. "Well, our water supply is limited and we still have a while before we can get out of this forest."

"The only water source we've found was that black river," said Reggie. "And if Wylde says she's not going to touch it, then I'm not going to touch it."

Haldir snorted and mumbled under his breath.

Kat cocked her head. "What was that?"

Haldir sneered. "What a weak army yours must be if they seek a _female's_ advice in so many matters."

Kat's eyes narrow and was starting to see red. It was safe to say she did not like her insight and skills belittled so. Newt noticed how tightly she clenched her jaw and, as a married man, knew the consequences of provoking a woman's temper.

"Firstly, you yourself rely on the word of a female," he said, gesturing to the lady of light. "Secondly, our medic is an experienced professional who does her job well and is firstly and foremost concerned with our welfare. Thirdly and lastly, Wylde has a reputation for her cool judgment and sound sensibility; we take her opinion of matters seriously."

"Really," sneered Haldir. "Pray tell, what is her opinion of elves?"

Newt gritted his teeth and began to speak. Kat cut him off with the wave of her hand. "He asked for my opinion, Newt," she explained. "And he will get it." She took a step towards Haldir, effectively leaving Newt behind her so he could not become part of this verbal spat.

Kat looked the Marchwarden up and down, a decided disgusted sneer on her face and daggers in her eyes. Unlike others, this did not have an effect on the elf. "As much as I would like to appease your contempt by answering your intolerable question, I do not endorse making remarks of stereotyping a large population. Nor will I answer when my research has been limited to this one encounter. Or would you have me _assume_ all other elves are small-minded, cold-blooded dunderheads who cannot differentiate gender! As I will not give an opinion, I will resolve for the time being to the saying, 'there are elves, and there are elves'."

_-True, part of the last sentence originally belongs to Samwise Gamgee, but it's a lifesaver.-_

Ty and Reggie chuckled, giving each other high-five's and some sort of secret handshake. Wally kept his eyes to the ground, but had a pleased look on his face. Rich had a knowing smile on his face.

"And what do you think of me?" Galadriel asked.

Kat shrugged her shoulders and the first thing that came to mind slipped past her lips, though what came out was somewhat… altered. Let it be known to the reader that Kat had _meant_ to say 'bEWitching', though that was not what came out. All it took was one look at Marchwarden's red face, nostrils flaring and eyes that would scare a Nazgul, to tell Kat her next course of action – Run!

Kat took off out of the clearing, not caring about direction or topography. Haldir was close behind, waving his broad sword in the air and screaming, "You're dead, mortal!"

Reggie and Newt looked at each other, and then turned the shocked lord and lady. "I'm so sorry about that, my lady." "I'm sure she didn't mean it." "She must have meant 'bewitching'." "Wylde isn't the type to curse." "I've never heard her say anything like that before."

The Lady of Light held up her hand, effectively silently the two, and – to both their surprise – started laughing.

***

Kat had run, though not fast enough.

Haldir now held his blade to her neck while his free arm held her against him. "It seems you've met the end."

Kat kept still, trying to stay away from the blade while trying to give him no reason to think that she was a threat. But, on the other hand, no way was she going to plead with him – not even if her life depended on it!

"Threaten me again, and I'll S.I.N.G."

_-This is the only time I'll_ ever _quote Sandra Bullock – I swear!-_

The Marchwarden scoffed. "As much as I don't doubt you have the voice of a crow, your threat is worthless," he hissed.

Kat's cocked eyebrow was his only warning.

The blows had been quick and exact, and Haldir found himself on the forest floor, cupping his organs. His side hurt and one of his insoles could possibly be broken. He tried to look up at the mortal girl, but his vision was still too blurry.

Kat looked down at the Marchwarden, conscious that she should be feeling some sort of remorse – although she didn't feel remorse and didn't wish to, either. "S.I.N.G.," she explained. "Solar plexus. Insole. Nose. Groin."

She picked up his discarded sword, looking from the metal back to its owner.

She could just take the sword and leave him here. No – while it might be safer for her, leaving an injured person in a dangerous area unarmed did not bode well on her conscience. She could always bring him back on the point of his own sword – but Kat then realized though as strong as she might be, she wasn't as strong as the Marchwarden and he could just as easily grab back his blade from her. And giving him back his sword was just as if signing her own death warrant.

Haldir fought against the pain till he was able to stand upright. His vision had cleared, but his insole still felt like it had been shattered. Glancing at the mortal girl, he narrowed his eyes. "Give me my sword, girl," he hissed.

Kat looked from the blade back to the Marchwarden. "Do you really think me that stupid?"

"GIVE IT TO ME!"

Haldir charged and Kat reacted according to her nature – she punched him. He limped back, holding his face and he glared daggers at her. He pulled back his hand and saw blood.

Haldir growled, "You. Broke. My. NOSE!"

_-Okay, time to run again!-_ Kat, gripping the sword tightly to her, sprinted towards the clearing. If he was going to kill her, then at least there were going to be witnesses. Haldir followed closely, running – er… limping – a notch faster than she. _-Thank goodness elves never compete in the Olympics… they'd take gold in every event every year.-_

Kat ran into the clearing, only a few yards ahead of the Marchwarden. If she had stopped to watch the faces of her comrades and the lord and lady, she would have thought either they were thinking the situation amusing or they were all going through an onset of indigestion.

"Here. Catch," Kat said as she tossed the blade to her comrades as she ran passed them.

A few steps passed her comrades, Kat felt a pair of arms wrap around her and felt herself hitting the ground. She rolled over, facing Haldir. His one arm kept her pinned to the ground as the other one pulled back to deliver a punch.

"Haldir!" Celeborn called.

Growling and muttering something under his breath that Kat assumed to be a curse in Quenya, Haldir let go of her and stood to face his lord.

Celeborn's face, once stern, had softened. "Is this your sword, Marchwarden?" he gestured to the blade in Reggie's hands.

Kat stood up and joined her companions.

Celeborn started grinning. "Don't tell me that a simple mortal girl removed you of your sword?!" he teased.

"It's all a matter of S.I.N.G.," Kat explained.

Reggie, Newt, Ty, and Wally made a face and automatically made a movement to cover their own organs.

Haldir notice their reactions. "Did she do the same thing –"

"No," Newt said. "But thanks to 'Miss Congeniality', that move had become widely known and popular – especially with the female population." He smiled for a moment, relishing the squad's good luck. "Apparently, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel are returning home from a meeting of sorts with Mirkwood's king. It's our good fortune that we stumbled across them."

"Marchwarden," Celeborn said, "I have spoken with their leader. For tonight we will given them rest with our party. In the morning, we will part ways and give them enough supplies to help them out of the forest."

Kat's eyebrows rocketed skyward.

"Er… thank you, my lady… I think."


	6. Does Time Really Heal All Things

**Chapter 6:**

**Does Time Really Heal All Things**

Kat bite her lower lip, amused at this current situation. Though she had the ability to keep her face neutral, she made no attempt at hiding her amusement.

What was tickling her funny bone wasn't Reggie trying to run from a group of elleths, who were trying to scrub the darkness from his skin. It wasn't Ty, who had instigated a drinking game and was currently on his fifteenth mug (Kat figured that the alcohol here was greatly diluted, considering fifteen cans of beer in her world would have rendered Ty comatose at the very least) and was still on his feet, while one of the elves had passed out and splayed on the ground unceremoniously nearby. It wasn't Newt, who had elves of the miniature size poking and wrestling him to the ground in fits of giggles. And it wasn't Wally, who blushed as red as her hair every time he so much as made eye contact with any of the females.

No, her amusement stemmed from the figure before her – Haldir. Stretched out on the ground with a tree supporting him. Glaring daggers at her.

Kat had grown guilty after their S.I.N.G. episode and wanted to correct any damages – any medical damages, that is. But Kat had a suspicion that this elf would not let her anywhere near him after their encounter. Luckily, she was a thinking woman and – like any other woman – knew how to manipulate the situation. It was all a matter of what one could not deny, what one cannot ignore, what one cannot resist. Haldir, like her, was a soldier. And no soldier could ignore an order from a commanding officer – or Lady of Light, in this case. And Galadriel, also being a nurturing and authoritative female, had agreed to command Haldir into her care.

Haldir growled once more. Not in pain, as she had given him analgesics (pain killers) before she started setting the bones and constructing a make-shift cast, but from his obvious dislike of the mortal.

"I'm beginning to think you're part Orc for all your growling," Kat said as she added another layer to the cast.

"And how would you know that?" he snapped. "Do you personally know any Orcs?"

Kat looked up from the cast to his face. "My, my, you certainly have a temper. I'm beginning to wonder if you have need of anger management sessions."

"What?!"

"Or perhaps you just have an antisocial personality disorder. You seem violent enough for that."

"Violent?! I'm not the one who broke my foot!"

"And I'm not the one who chased after me, waving a sword in the air, screaming 'You're dead'. I'm not the one who put a blade up to my throat, prepared to take my life."

Haldir growled again and mumbled something in Quenya.

Kat chuckled as she finished the cast. "This will have to stay on for a few weeks. In the meantime, I would advise against putting weight on it. Every now and then, check the pulses here." She grabbed Haldir's hand and placed it on the dorsalis pedis pulse. "Check with the healers periodically. Notify with them if you feel your foot go numb, the blood isn't circulating to the toes, or you can't feel the pulse. Don't put anything under the cast. Don't get it wet. Don't take it off for at least two weeks."

"Or else?"

"Or else 1) the blood in your foot could be cut off and the foot will end up needing to be amputated 2) if you put something under the cast, the object will put pressure on the skin and the skin will eventually breakdown and you'll get a skin ulcer 3) if the cast becomes wet, it will become soft and break off and 4) taking the cast off prematurely will hinder the bones from healing properly and you'll end up limping for the rest of eternity."

Haldir stopped growling and cast his eyes to the ground.

_-Good. At least that shut him up.-_

"Would somebody get these girls off of me?! I'm freakin' clean already!"

***

Kat ran her fingers through her wet hair, squeezing out any water. There hadn't been enough water for a full bath, but she had used what she could to wipe herself down in private. Thankfully, one of the ellyth insisted on washing all the squad's extra clothes (it was required to carry one extra set of ACUs, a pair of socks, and undergarments), so she had clean clothes to put on after she had finished wiping herself down, praying under her breath that no one of the male species (especially those with unnaturally keen sight) was watching.

It would be one thing if she saw one of them naked – she was medical. She was supposed to know a male's anatomy. It would be another if they saw her. There was little thing called testosterone. Besides, it was a well known fact that all males had two separate brains (one located between their legs).

Kat was well rested from her first full night of sleep in more than a week. She knew she was tired, considering she did not wake up before the sun, but at daybreak. She would have made the suggestion to Rich of the squad helping in guard duty, but as elves didn't need much sleep and had highly superior senses the squad would more of a liability than an asset while on duty.

Finished dressing, Kat reached for her camelbak and chugged down on the water that the elves had provided. She would be able to fill the camelbak before she left. In the meantime, she could hydrate herself to her heart's desire (especially since if the body became dehydrated enough, the body would pull water from other places, like lungs or cardiac muscles for example).

Kat, dressed to the hilt and literally dressed to kill, made her way to her pack and checked her equipment in her aid bag. It wasn't that she expected an emergency any time soon; just that it had been drilled into by sergeants and instructors to always check her equipment periodically just to be on the safe side. And Kat believed firmly in Murphy's Law.

"Humph!" said a voice that was pleasing to the ears, but sandpaper to her nerves.

Kat jumped slightly then looked up with the surprise skillfully masked. Haldir towered over her, glaring (per norm) but there was something else in his gaze… something as if he were accusing her of some lie or plot that he had just discovered.

Kat retained her welcome (but ghostly) smile all the same. "Marchwarden," she greeted. "What do I owe this honor?" She may not have gotten along with him, but right now he had a look in his eye that could kill and Kat first wanted to know her crime before he attempted to try, sentence, and execute her. If that meant keeping a civil tongue, then so be it.

The daggers in his eyes grew sharper as a chilling smirk appeared. "It had occurred to me, Lady Katherine –"

"Wylde."

"…That though we have camped together, you know of us, but we know nothing of you."

_**/Bum, bum, bummmmm… Certain death! Ooooooooooh./**_

True, this wasn't a labyrinth, but the line just jumped into her mind. He just _had_ to ask about the one taboo subject of every Mary-Sue! He just had to ask about the squad's past, which would lead to how they got here and how they could possibly travel between worlds. -_Eegacks! Did I just call myself a Mary-Sue! Kill me now!-_

Kat shrugged, leaving her answer simple, "We're soldiers who got separated from a drill exercise and are trying to find a way back home."

He sneered. "And where, exactly, is home? Any kingdom I know of, any kingdom that carries _this_ currency?" he asked, throwing a coin at her.

Kat barely caught it in time. She looked down in her hands _-Oh, freakin' eggnog!-_ One of backup measures Kat habitually acquired was to always carry two quarters in case she needed to make a phone call. Somehow, Haldir had found them.

"Where are you from," he growled. "When are you from?"

Kat's eyebrows knitted. _-What made him ask about time?_ "Please clarify."

"The dates on the coins!" he shouted.

_-Oh.-_ The dates. _-Oh!-_ The dates! They must be a far time off before or after this point. That was why Haldir was making such ado. If Kat had to guess, she would have given about two hundred years leeway (1980 – 2200 third age); the year the squad had landed in must have been outside the ranges if Haldir was so suspicious. Kat gave an understanding smile. "Tell me, Marchwarden, what do you know of a race of Halflings called Hobbits?"

"Firstly, what are Hobbits? Secondly, don't change the subject!"

Kat retained a motherly smile. "As for what Hobbits are, you will learn in time. And as for the subject… Hobbits keep their own record of time, a reckoning to be exact. How they keep their years are not how the elves keep them. To the dwarves, the years started when they awoke. To some, time began with the coming of the sun. To others, it began at the foundation of a settlement or a kingdom. Don't be too swift to jump to conclusions," Kat concluded.

Haldir did not like the answer, but had no choice but to concede and limp away, still suspicious and angry, but without any base reason to take it out on her now that she had easily disarmed his verbal weapons. Damn the girl! She had gotten the better hand three times already in less than two days!

Kat smirked, holding back the chuckle at Haldir's receding form. With the many things they had in common, it was a pity that they hadn't gotten off on the right foot (or left foot, in Haldir's case). _-My pride and his prejudice! Jane Austin, here I come.-_

Kat continued chuckling as she finished her inventory.

***

Newt looked over his shoulder again, looking over the other four, for the sixth time during this farewell briefing. Call it a father's habit; always keeping an eye on the children.

Celeborn and Galadriel stood side by side before the squad. Haldir sat on his mount (Kat gave Galadriel instructions to allow him to use his foot as little as possible) behind the lord and lady, still suspicious, but his glare only a mockery of before. A few other elves who Kat had never officially met stood around and watched as the squad gave their thanks and salutations.

Kat remained silent as Celeborn gave directions to the quickest route out of the forest and Galadriel said some comforting words that made no sense to Kat at all. She looked up at the Marchwarden, who was still staring at her. She cocked her eyebrow and decided not depart as enemies; she allowed the ends of her mouth to curve upward briefly in a smile, then returned to her blank face.

Haldir watched the squad from atop of his stallion, a bit peeved that once again the mortal girl had been able to gain the last word. But now, faced with the fact that these _unusual_ mortals were leaving, Haldir (for some reason known only to the Valar) found that he felt he was going to miss them – at least the girl. It wasn't everyday one met a young mortal girl who could not only take away the Marchwarden of Lothlorien's sword, but also win verbal spars, stand up to the Lady of Light, and travel with warriors. But all, the same, he would not be grieved if he never saw any of these strange warriors ever again. Scratch that – he didn't even want to ever meet with them or their descendants for however long Haldir resided upon Middle-Earth.

"Thank you so much, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel, for your help," said Newt. "If you are in ever in need…"

"Thank you for the offer," Galadriel said. "But I do not foresee us meeting again."

Haldir smirked. Whether or not it was what the Lady had meant, Haldir had just heard the elf queen telling them she wanted no further contact. Haldir knew full well that this interpretation wasn't what she meant, but he did interpret that way. And he would not go against his Lady's command – or his interpretation of such.

"Contrary to popular belief, nothing is written in the stars – or in mirrors," said Kat. "We may yet meet again, but then again, we may not."

Galadriel smiled. "You are a rarity, Lady Katherine –"

"FOR THE LAST TIME, IT'S WYLDE!" Kat threw her hands up in the air in the gesture of frustration.

The elves – except Haldir, who just scowled – chuckled at Kat's outbreak.

"The world would do well to have more of you," Celeborn said.

Kat shook her head. "Not possible. If there were two of me, the one would seek the other out and we would fight till one died and we would be stuck with one as the world was originally."

"I didn't know you had a violent streak in ya, Wylde," said Ty.

"Don't tell me you lost your visual and hearing acuity while a certain Marchwarden and I had that scuffle."

Ty shrugged, while Reggie was hiding a secret smile.

"Thank you again, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel," Newt said. "What is the saying… May the grace of the Valar overshadow and protect you."

"And you."

With that, Newt turned and nodded to his squad. Automatically falling into positions and step, the squad made southwest, as per Celeborn's instructions. Wally, though still limping slightly, had adequate rest and was now able to keep up with the group without struggling. Kat glanced towards him every now and again, ready to call to Newt if she saw any signs of exhaustion.

And so they continued for the rest of the afternoon.

***

A pair of ice blue eyes watched as the group of mortals marched towards the boarder. How odd they were… all dressed identically and moving as a unit, not in a line, but in distorted version of a wedge.

One thing was sure, these mortals wanted to leave.

His eyes started to sparkle as thoughts of how they would bring him and his companions some amusement.

_-This is going to be fun.-_

With one last look, he snickered and snuck off to find his friends, who were most likely finishing his father's personal wines, which they had stolen.

At least, with playing with these mortals, his father wouldn't be lecturing him again how he should be helping his people, not trying to take advantage of anything with two legs and in a dress or getting drunk with his friends or 'causing chaos and mayhem among the innocent subjects.' Come to think of it, he doubted his father would even hear about this group of mortals.

As he rode off, he wondered how loud these mortals could scream.


	7. More Elves!

**Chapter 7:**

**More Elves!**

Newt held up his hand to signal for the squad to halt. The other four watched the squad leader for further instruction. He turned back towards his subordinates and said, "Water break. Ten minutes."

Kat nodded as she sank to the ground and pulled her camelback hose, letting the water soothe her lips. It was amazing how comforting a simple thing as water was to a travel-wearied soldier.

Ty sipped from his camelbak as he sat his rifle across his lap and watched the surroundings. After the spider incident, Ty wasn't about to let down his guard until they were well out of this infernal forest.

Kat slipped off her Kevlar and wiped her sweat drenched brow. She slid it back on and caught Newt's attention. "Latrine," she said.

Newt cocked his head toward a direction. "No further than two hundred feet."

Kat nodded in recognition and stood up. As she passed Ty, he looked up at her, concerned. He was a little apprehensive about anyone separating from the group.

"Challenge copper. Pass penny. Running Lincoln," said Ty.

Kat nodded in acknowledgment and went off into a thickly clustered point. She did want to stray off too far, but still didn't want anyone to see her urinate.

Kat covered her waste and buckled her pistol belt as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to stand on their ends. Her eyes swept the forest around her, looking for any sign of spiders. Her heart was pounding, though she rationalized it as her giving into the normal 'flight or fight' syndrome or that the squad had hiked for five hours, this being the first break since their rest courtesy of the elves. It could also be a response to some sort of stimuli (auditory, visual, etc.) that was reminding her of the spider attack, post traumatic stress disorder of a kind. Kat could safely say that she wouldn't miss this forest. It gave her the creeps.

She reached for her rifle and turned back towards the group, and was met with a pair of ice blue eyes.

A knife flashed and her neck stung.

Kat yelped, dropping her rifle, and did what was natural – punched him. She put her hand to her neck. Pulling it back, she found blood on her hand. It wasn't enough to be a problem, a scratch probably, but it still hurt!

The elf stumbled backwards, holding his jaw. He glared at her, giving Kat a chance to truly see him.

His hair was golden – no surprise there. He might have been taller than the Marchwarden, but he was definitely not as broad and more compact. His brown and green outfit (trimmed with what appeared to be silk, silver, and gold) confirmed her suspicion – he was a Mirkwood elf (gray raiment was indicative of Lothlorian). Kat made a mental note of the weapons he carried (one bow, one quiver full of arrows, and two white knives), just in case she found herself on the receiving end again.

The elf was literally seething. He stood up straight and let his fist fly – hitting Kat's Kevlar as she barely ducked in time. Kat stumbled back from the impact. The elf spat something that she guessed was a curse and cradled his hand. He backhanded her and Kat fell to the ground, her check stinging like skin exposed to concentrated mob gas.

She looked up at the elf, who was now smugly standing over her. _-OKAY, NOW I'M PISSED!-_ Kat kicked up, landing her foot between his legs.

The elf let out a moan and his eyes crossed, cupping his organs. He concentrated on breathing. The pain burned white spots in his vision. He let out a whimper as his shoulders slumped.

Kat stood up and walked behind him, kicking behind his knee cap and taking him down to his knees. She picked her rifle back up, aiming it at the elf. "Nighty-night." She slammed the butt of the rifle against his skull. The elf went limp and went down, lying prostrate and arms spread out. Kat let out a breath she was holding and allowed herself to relax – as much as one can after being slashed and slapped. She cautiously approached the side of the knocked out figure. She knelt down and removed the bow, knives (one still decorated with her blood), and quiver. She aimed her rifle at him as she kicked him over.

Normally, Kat would have called for help to turn over a prisoner. She would keep her weapon aimed at the prisoner while another soldier rolled him/her, using the prisoner as a shield in case he/she was hiding an explosive underneath them. But seeing as 1) she had seen the elf go down with nothing suspicious against his chest and 2) this was a world where IEDs weren't even a concept, Kat seriously doubted there was any danger.

She bent down, checking his pulse to make sure she didn't accidentally kill the elf. She might be a soldier, but the idea of killing someone didn't bode well on her mind.

Finding a pulse, Kat slung her rifle onto her back as well as the elf's weapons – one never knew if they were going to be needed again. She sat the elf up, propping him up with her knee, and grabbed his opposite arm and leg. She growled and groaned as she struggled to pull him across her shoulders and stood up, carrying the elf fireman's style back toward the rest of the squad.

Standing up was the hardest part. She wasn't the strongest of persons, she'd admit that, but there was something universally difficult about standing from a crouched position with possible two hundred extra pounds on her back. She was cautious as she started back. The terrain was unsteady and with a wrong footing and the excess weight on her back, she would more than likely fall and sprain – if not break – her ankle. And at this point, neither she nor the others needed that.

As she shuffled back, she noticed no one was calling out the challenge. And Kat pieced together the facts. She was attacked by an elf in the middle of a spider-infested forest (that meant if he were alive so far out in nowhere's-ville, he had companions – old rule of strength in numbers). Ty was a vigilant person, but had not called out the challenge (meaning he was distracted – and it had to be important to take his attention away from guarding). Two plus two equaled four, and her attack plus Ty's absence of attention equaled Mister Elf here had some friends who dropped in to say hi to the rest of the squad. Kat kept her pace, looking for some sign of her group or if not that, then some sign of struggle.

Ahead, she could see a few blurs of green moving as if trying not to be seen. Kat smirked. Woodelves knew woodcraft akin to breathing, and either one didn't see them at all or they made sure they made their presence known. And the figures ahead were trying to hide, but not doing a good job of it.

One of the figures looked her way. "I have copper bullets," he called.

"I'll buy them for a penny," Kat answered.

He came to her side and took the elf, carrying him back with more ease then her smaller frame and muscles could. Kat followed Ty toward the others. Her eyes widened as she got a better vision at the resting point.

Ty deposited the elf with five other elves, who were currently tied up. They were all dressed in colors of the forest and all had golden hair and blue eyes (Kat wanted to yack at the similarities between them and a Ken doll). It was the differences in build and facial structures that made it possible to distinguish the lot.

"Where did you find him?" Newt asked, as he closed his pack.

Ty glanced back towards Kat and Newt followed his gaze toward her. Newt gave her a smirk, only for it to dissolve as his eyes wandered down to her neck.

"Wylde! Did he hurt you?"

Kat would have shaken her head, if it weren't for the cut on her neck and the bruise on her cheek that she publicly displayed. "It seems that more than one elf suffers from the overestimation in archaic means to acquire subjugation." She stopped when she saw Newt's confused face and sighed, realizing she had to restate it in simpler terms. "Let's put it this way, my cheeks will now have matching bruises. That was this elf's mistake. He caught me by surprise," she said as she walked towards her medical bag. As she unzipped the bag, she looked around, trying to analyze her squad from her spot.

Reggie came up to her, taking the elf's weapon's from her shoulders. "The others were armed the same," he said, and then add with a bit of venom, "except for the knives." He glared at the blood that had dried on one of the white blades.

Kat was beginning to feel lack of air from this cuddling from the squad. She needed the attention off of her. "What exactly happened?" she asked.

Reggie slung the quiver onto his back and picked up the bow and knives. "They appeared a minute after you left and started shooting at us – none of them made a direct hit." Kat noticed a cut along his cheek. It was a straight cut, but still running. "Newt ordered that we weren't to shoot. The elves seemed a little cocky. Let's just say they don't like jujitsu, especially after this." Brazilian jujitsu was a form of hand-to-hand combat that was taught to every soldier during basic combat training. It dealt with using the other's momentum against the opponent and using joint pressure and locks. Some of the favorites were the ones that pressed against the trachea (windpipe). "I'm just going to put these with the others," he said, indicating the elves' weapons.

Kat nodded as the corners of her lips tilted. "When you're finished, come see me. You might call that a scratch, but it can be infected all the same."

Reggie smiled and left, while Kat looked at the others. She caught Newt's eye. "Are you hurt?"

Newt shook his head. "A few bruises, but that's all. You need to see about that cut."

Kat nodded. "After I see Wally's leg."

Newt nodded, not wanting to argue the point. He got her to agree to see to her own injury, even if it was delayed. But since the two were both so stubborn, this was an agreeable compromise. He walked towards Ty as Kat tended to Wally's leg. Newt's eyes swept over the prisoners, resting on the unconscious one and he felt the anger rise in him. It didn't pass his notice that he had been that close to losing the squad's rock and stone. Between the four males, there was enough medical experience to apply a tourniquet. It didn't help that she was the only one among the five who had the knowledge to lead them to a place of haven. That being said, the lone female was indispensable – and he had almost lost her to an angry and now unconscious elf.

Ty finished up tying the unconscious elf. Newt gestured him to come over.

"What happened?" Newt asked. "How close was he to killing Wylde?"

Ty chuckled and shook his head. "You'll have to ask. It seems that another elf peeved off our medic. When I ran out to meet them, Wylde was carrying him – knocked out cold. It seems we have another G.I. Jane."

Newt chuckled in agreement as he glanced at Kat, who was disinfecting Reggie's cut. He shook his head. When will she learn to take care of herself?

***

With prisoners on their hands, and no knowledge if there were any elves nearby they could hand off to, Newt had decided it would be best – at least for a day or so – stay put until they could either establish a rapport with the captives or at least find out if the elves' reasons for attacking them were defensive or malicious.

Night had fallen. True it wasn't much of a difference from day, for the exception of the rare ray of light that penetrated the forest canopy, but the temperature drop was – like the previous nights – chilling.

Under normal circumstances, where one had to worry about aerial and satellite surveillance, a detachment wouldn't even think about creating a light, much less a small fire such as was in the middle of the encampment. True, there were also concerns about the darker creatures of the forest, but when weighing the pros and cons a minuscule fire was the final decision. The fire had been fueled with only so much firewood, and when it would extinguish during the night it would extinguish. There was no sense in maintaining a beacon for all things dangerous to see.

The squad circled the flame as they went through whatever left they had of MRE meals. It was quiet as some combed through the packages and some began eating. Kat's gaze turned towards the elves, who watched on as her squad ate. She pursed her lips and decided to take action.

Kat shifted through the remnants of the MREs, picking up a few things. She didn't know that much about elf diets (whether they were vegetarians, didn't eat yeast bread, or didn't eat meat on Fridays). She picked out a few pound cakes (even though they weren't as good as regular pound cakes, the poptart-like breads – and the thick, bread-like crackers – were the best bet concerning the elves) and other breads. Even though the selection of bread and water seemed condescending, this bread tasted better than the rest of the cold MREs.

She glanced towards the tied-up prisoners, trying to work out how she could let them eat without endangering herself or the rest of the squad. If she just untied them, the elves could try to overtake them and the squad would once again be at the mercy of elves. She could untie one elf at a time while keeping guard and allow him to eat, then tie him up and go to the next one.

The light in her attic went off and Kat juggled around with it. Feeding them herself would solve her problems of security, but it could – and most likely _would_ – degrade the elves' dignity. As true as it was easy, it didn't mean that it was right – or would it matter? After all, it was their wellbeing that she was thinking of. But would they be grateful? They might be, considering if they were as old as she suspected, they would be wise enough to know what the worst they could expect when in their current position and would be grateful for any compassion. On the other hand, all she had seen was contempt and haughtiness from this group of elves. Kat pursed her lips as she continued to weigh and balance the pros and cons. She glanced at her comrades, who were shoving their faces with their dinner, not giving a moment's consideration to the captives a few yards away. She shook her head in disapproval and decided. She might be a soldier, trained to kill and to place the mission first, but she was also a nurse (and a side closet medical student), trained to feel compassion and to give without thought of gratitude.

"Newt," she said, grabbing his attention while he stuffed his face with food.

She cocked her head toward the prisoners and held up one of the food packets. "Are we to starve them?"

Newt screwed his eyes shut, as if mentally slapping himself. Finishing what was already in his mouth – his mother did teach him manners, after all – Newt said, "Don't give them too much; we don't have much as it is."

Kat nodded. "I don't eat much, anyways."

"And Wylde," said Newt, as his eyes drifted to the dressing on her neck, "be careful."

She nodded. Gathering the few pieces of food and her canteens and slipped away to the six elves. She knelt next to one who was closest to the squad and opened a package of pound cake.

"You need to eat," she said, gesturing towards her mouth. "But since you need to be kept tied up I'm going to feed you." She gestured from her to the food to him. She broke off a piece of the wafer and held it up to his mouth. The elf looked from the piece of bread back to Kat. He opened his mouth and allowed the bread in – and spat it back out onto Kat. Kat froze, willing herself not to react. She blinked once, and twice. "Alright," she said, more for placating her temper than the elf. She gathered the food. "If you are not hungry, then I will not force you to eat." She knelt next to another one, who refused to open his mouth.

Kat let out an exasperated sigh. It was going to be a long night.

***

When Kat woke, before sunrise as per norm, she knew instantly something was wrong. Her eyes whipped from point to point, taking in the squad members around her. Wally was still sleeping, his chest rising and falling. Reggie was snoring with his back against a tree. Newt was prone next to his rucksack as his fingers played with the dirt. Ty…

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Kat jumped up and ran toward the seething soldier and the black and blue prisoner.

Ty was cursing under his breath, spitting out profanities at the elf as he punched the one who attacked Kat. The others bolted awake, reaching for their rifles and searching the area for danger as Kat rushed between Ty and the elf.

"What are you doing?! Stop this!" she cried as she pushed and pulled the large man from pummeling the prisoner who was still tied up. Kat grabbed Ty's arms and tried to pull him away.

"He hurt you! He nearly killed you!" Ty yelled, kicking the elf and impervious to the woman who tried to force herself between the two.

"SERGEANT TYLER!" Newt boomed in a tone none of the squad had ever before heard. "Desist, NOW!" Reggie and Newt came behind Ty and each grabbed one of his arms and dragged him away. Newt was barking at Ty, "I thought you better than those soldiers at Abu Ghraib."

Kat knelt down next to the elf, turning him to his back. It was then she noticed the blood running from his nose and the bruises on his face. He had been gagged, as had been the other elves, explaining why she hadn't heard any shouting. The other five elves were tied individually to a separate tree, away from Ty's victim. By the looks, Ty had yet to touch the others, though Kat was beginning to wonder if elves could literally murder with those glares they were sporting.

Kat's jaw clenched. She shut her eyes, trying to mentally keep her temper in check. It didn't work this time. "Tyler! If it weren't for the fact that I would have to fix you later on, I would break every bone in both your hands for this!" Kat shouted, overpowering Rich's cursing. "If I ever, and I mean _EVER_, see you within five feet of these prisoners without a chaperon, I swear I will dismember you!"

Newt stopped cursing and stared at Kat with a slight tug at the corner of his mouth. Newt was trying to appear disapproving of such attitude among his squad members, and by all rights if someone were to lay down rules and punishments it should have been Newt. But everything she had just said was so fitting! In all honesty, he felt like saying and promising the same thing.

He shifted his amused gaze towards Ty, who wore an odd mixture of emotions on his face. Ty's mouth was slight open, though his jaw was tight, and his eyebrows were knitted together. Newt wasn't an expert on reading expressions, but Ty was definitely shocked. There were other emotions there, but Newt couldn't read them. His expertise was in leading his squad and handling a rifle, not people.

_-Calm down, girl-_ Kat tried to sooth herself. _-Right now, the elf's wellbeing is priority. Focus on the elf!_- Kat removed her elf's gag, noticing his eyes were closed. From what she remembered of Tolkein's work, even in sleep elves kept their eyes open. Conclusion, he was going in a bad way.

"Hey, there," she said, gently shaking his shoulder. "Are you alright?" It was a needless question – of course he wasn't alright. But when the elf made no response to her touch or her voice Kat's training started to kick in.

Kat pulled off her Kevlar. With the Kevlar off, free her from the extra bulk and weight (and the headache she always accrued after prolong wear), she lowered her head to listen for breathe and to watch for chest movement for ten seconds. There were no signs of breathing. -_Oh, freakin' eggnog-_ She tilted the elf's head back slightly and opened his airway. She gave him two breaths, pleased when she felt no resistance, meaning the airway was unobstructed. That was one less complication. She felt for a pulse along his neck, relieved when she felt one. The pulse wasn't as strong as she would have liked, but it was there all the same. And that was what mattered.

"How is he?" one of the squad asked. Kat didn't know who asked it and didn't bother to identify the voice. She was too preoccupied with her patient to even register the question.

Kat began giving the elf one breath every five seconds, stopping after every twelfth breath to reassess his pulse, every time comforted to find it still pulsating.

Kat was on the verge of tears, fearing that the elf would not last. She might not have liked him, especially considering their initial meeting, but she couldn't let him die. He was a living being, and had the right to live just as everybody else. The elf gasped silently and Kat turned his head to the side as he vomited the contents of his stomach. She helped wipe away the lingering vomit on his lips as she assessed his breathing, which was present – weak, but present. She turned him onto his side while he recovered; it would not do if he vomited again while she wasn't there and aspirated the vomitus. It was then that she noticed that his hands were still bound behind his back. She untied them and let his arms rest in front of him. This being done, Kat allowed herself a sigh of relief and observed for any other injuries or conditions.

Looking up, meeting the gazes of the other elves, Kat called to Wally without turning, "Could you watch this one for me?" Standing, she approached the elves with her hands open, showing she had no ill intent. She knelt down next to the closest one and removed his gag – just to feel his spit on her face. She closed her eyes, trying to will down her emotions.

Kat was so sick of all this hatred and anger. She was so sick of constantly fighting Death. She was so sick of being on the receiving end of hostility and contempt from those she was trying to help. She was sick of constantly watching her back. She was sick of suspecting everyone and giving them aid. She was sick of all of it after her trip to the big sand box in the Middle East. And when she came home, what welcomed her? A bunch of angry peace fanatics that kept on insisting that she was going to Hell because she wore the uniform. And when she went to a friend's funeral – a fellow soldier – what did she see? Protesters against the war, waving signs – one even that read, 'Thank God for IEDs'.

Opening her eyes and letting the hurt – and her warmth – flee her body, Kat moved almost robotically as she freed the remained of the prisoners from their gags.


	8. It's Not Fair!

**Chapter 8:**

**It's Not Fair!**

(A/N: I had the hardest time trying to write for a spoiled, malicious princeling. The closest I could get was picturing a Malfoy in Legolas's place. All in all, please forgive me if it sounds foppish and immature. I will take all suggestions and criticisms into suggestion. I must warn you, though, as I stated at the beginning of the first chapter, Legolas is not the hero of this story. Legomance lovers, ye have been warned.)

(A/N: I have made some changes to previous chapter, just for fyi.)

(A/N: Rating has increased due to this chapter's content – attempted rape – and future chapters' content.)

And on with the story…

He opened his ice blue eyes, feeling sore all over (particularly in the abdomen) and had a bad taste in his mouth. The bad taste he was used to, but he was used to waking up with pain in his head, not his stomach, and normally he would be yelling for a servant to get their pathetic head into his chambers and wait on him – after they fetched his normal morning mixture to get rid of the monster hangover. He felt disgustingly dirty, as if he had spent the night on the forest floor. He looked down at his dirt covered hands, sneering in disgust. He HAD slept on the forest floor! How sickening! Assessing his person to note that not only were his clothes dirty and ripped, and not only did his normally gorgeous mane muddied and now resembled a bird's nest, but now there was DIRT UNDERNEATH HIS FINGERNAILS!

How revolting! It sickened him to think he now resembled a pathetic, reeking, savage mortal. Any worse and he could have been mistaken for a very tall dwarf, or worse… a man.

He looked around, assessing his situation. He was still in the forest, though he much rather be in his soft bed. The mortals he had tried to play with stood to one side. The boy he attacked had a bandage over his wound, though he knew it wouldn't be anything serious. After all, he was just trying to have some fun. The mortals all seemed engaged by something or other, whether it be inspecting those odd looking sticks, acting as a sentry, poking at another boy's leg, or writing something in the dirt. He turned his head, finding his friends opposite of the mortals. They were still tied up, glaring at the mortals that had the presumption to act as if they were equals. As for himself, he found himself utterly annoyed. How dare they treat him with such disrespect! Miserable slugs such as themselves should know better how to treat their superiors. This wasn't fair!

"Milord," Sarniul whispered, trying to attract his attention. Whispered in Sindarin, the volume was low enough so the mortals would not hear.

He met the eyes of his long time servant and friend. "What happened?"

"What do you remember, Milord?"

What did he remember? He remembered being tied up like livestock. He remembered not being able to sleep due to lying on the hard, rocky earth. That and the mortals' snoring kept him awake. Watching as the large one left his post and approached them. Having that foul cloth shoved into his mouth. Listening as the mortal snarled, "You attacked the wrong girl!" And seeing a fist coming towards him.

"The large Orc, I mean mortal, attacking me," he answered, wondering which elleth the large mortal was referring to.

Sarniul and a few others chuckled as another, Glandruil (the son of Thranduil's captain and chief counselor, Angelor) spoke, "At least Legolas wasn't conscious to remember that boy's lips on him." Glandruil and three others laughed while Sarniul remained quiet.

"_What!?"_ hissed Legolas, his head snapping towards the flame-haired boy.

"You weren't breathing, Milord," explained Sarniul. "The boy was merely forcing breath into your lungs."

He was far too angry to listen. If Legolas was angry before, he was now seething. How _dare_ that whelp handle him! How dare he lay his grimy lips upon his person. The little scapegrace humiliated him in such a fashion in front of his friends.

"That little…" the prince let out a string of curses.

***

Newt's ears perked at the low voices and cocked an eyebrow as the now-conscious elf let out a hiss and, judging by his clenched teeth, hissing and spitting, and the foam around his mouth, was cussing up a storm. His moustache wiggled as he fought the smirk.

"Wylde," he called out.

Kat was going through her supplies again, calculating how long they would last and review possible scenarios that might occur prior reaching friendly civilization. They had been in Middle-Earth for nearly two weeks and certain supplies (e.g. food and water) were near an end, despite the brief replenishment provided by the Lothlorien elves. When Newt called, she looked up.

He continued, "I've got some good news and bad news." She had an expectant look. "Good news is your guy is awake." Though it was barely noticeable, Newt spotted a smile springing forth as she visually assessed him from where she sat. "Bad news, I don't think he's too happy."

"Oh, what a shame," she said through a crooked grin.

If Newt hadn't been aware of Kat's sardonic tendencies before they had landed here, he was now.

She took another glance at the fuming elf, critically assessing and searching for potential hazardous symptoms. Just like a minute newborn – if he's making loud noises, then his airway was cleared and had appropriate volume intake. He wasn't clutching any body part, for the exception of violently wiping his lips, followed by spitting. Strange, but nothing to be worried about. He recognized his friends and by the means of glaring, identified the squad as foe. All in all, the elf was going to be alright

Kat stood up, stretching the muscles in the back and feeling her spine crack and pop. If she ever got home, she was going to go straight to a masseuse and booking for a week's worth of back massage. The military definitely had a way of making a young body grow old quickly.

Kat's gaze rested on each being in the camp, reviewing what each person needed. It was still a habit of hers, something she carried on from her civilian nursing job, to look at each person individually, creating mental lists of needs, compiling the lists, and then acting.

Ty was medically fit, though his demeanor was subdued. That was most likely from the scolding he received earlier. Though the scolding was well deserved, Kat felt the need to remind Ty that he was still a part of the squad. They still counted on him, and she was able to forgive him. Though Kat did have a temper, like Lil she was unable to hate a person; it was too exhausting. She would talk to him later.

Wally's leg was not yet completely healed, though showing no sign of infection. She'll have to change the dressing sometime soon, but there was nothing urgent about it. He was quiet, as usual. Personally, Kat liked the kid and wanted to see him open up more. Unlike some malingerers and sick call rangers, Wally was never one to try to overplay or downplay his juries. His injuries were exactly what they were. Typically, Kat had to deal with those who try to fake an injury to get out of work or those who didn't want the stigma of a 'sick call ranger' and refused any help whatsoever. With that line of thought, Wally was a rare and refreshing patient.

Reggie's gaze was shifting from the elves to Ty to Newt to Kat back to the weapon in his lap, which he was currently cleaning. It was obvious that he was still thinking about Ty's outburst this morning. To be honest, the outburst had shocked the rest of the squad, as well. Ty was normally cheerful, if not charming, and though he usually horsed around with a few others in the platoon, never had any of the squad heard him so much as raise his voice, much less raise his hand. Sometimes, Reggie's eyes would soften, as if he was looking into another world. It wasn't the look of remembering old battles – that look she knew well enough. No, there was sadness and love in this gaze. He was remembering his fiancée, who Kat had met only a few times before. Kat had never been in love herself, so she had no idea what to do to help him.

The elves were each still glaring at the squad, except perhaps one, whose green eyes almost looked abashed – but for what reason, she had no idea. Most of the elves they had met so far seemed far too proud to even understand the emotion. But this one did. He even held himself differently. It wasn't too noticeable, except for how sat a sliver bit further from the others and shifted his eyes from members of the squad back to that first elf (Kat had now decided that the elf that attacked her led the others). The elves had started to accept food, though reluctantly. That was at least one concern she didn't need to worry herself over.

Newt sat at the base of another tree, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped (almost as if in prayer), and eyes distant. He was thinking, and thinking hard. Kat could only guess what he was thinking. She could only hope to help him with whatever burden he was obviously bearing. She was never very close to her older brothers, but she liked her squad leader enough to consider him one. And she could tell that he liked her very much; if he ever had a baby sister, he couldn't ask for anyone different. True, when he first met her, he was only trying to get on her good side. One of the few things they taught was to make friends with supply and the medic. True, he had expected a professional who would fix him up if he broke – and Kat was and did – but she bet he hadn't expected someone he would grow to have a familial rapport with.

Kat walked over towards her squad leader, who looked up as his eyes caught the movement. Sitting down, she joined him, facing forward and observing the camp again. They didn't talk, didn't look at the other, didn't nudge or touch the other. Yet, somehow, they shared a comfortable silence, sharing each other's burdens and giving comfort, though they made no tangible contact. They sat this way for perhaps a good hour, without murmuring a syllable.

Ty, Reggie, and Wally seemed to understand the need for silence and provided a still atmosphere. Ty retreated from his post, sat down and started cleaning his weapon, occasionally glancing up at Kat. Wally watched the elves and, every now and then, offered them food and drink. Reggie took up Ty's post and starred into the woods.

"We need to take a look at the surrounding area," Newt suddenly said, breaking the silence and startling the rest.

"Sergeant?" Kat asked, confused at his statement and his reasoning behind it.

Newt turned to the medic. "We need to assess how close we are to the forest's end, and we can't do it hauling prisoners. Heck! We can't continue _marching_ with them! We need to see if there's anyone in the area. If there is, we can try talking to them and see if they can take these guys off our hands. If there isn't, I want to know if there's any way we can just let them go and get out of here before all hell breaks loose. I want to know if there's anything dangerous nearby, cause I need to know how dangerous our position is."

Kat nodded. "Alright."

Newt rubbed his hands nervously and pursed his lips as he stared forward and looked back to Kat. His worry and concern was enough for Kat to make her decision. Her maternal instincts were screaming at her.

"I'll go," she said, as if she were agreeing to an unspoken request.

"Wylde…"

"No, it makes sense," she interrupted. "Who else would be able to tell what's dangerous and not? Between the five of us, I know Middle-Earth best. If it makes you feel better, Reggie could go with me, you know, as a team." The last part was to appease the squad's natural instinct to protect the 'defenseless female'. It was obvious that none of the others wanted her in danger, and it seemed that chivalry wasn't _completely_ gone.

"Sarge," Ty said, "I think I should go instead of Reggie." His eyes landed on Kat and her insides, for some strange reason, started to squirm. "I'm the one who's trained in recon."

Newt considered this for a few seconds. He hated sending Kat anywhere unprotected. Just her being here, in this unknown and dangerous land, worried him. She was essential to their survival and he wasn't sure he wanted to risk it. But both Kat and Ty presented valid points: Kat knew Middle-Earth, and Ty knew recon. Of the four males, Ty would be able to best protect the lone female, and would make sure they stayed safe. Everything considered, it was their best bet.

***

Ty and Kat had spent the better part of the afternoon marching as quietly as possible… well, as quietly as Kat tried. Ty was in his element, moving quickly through the forage without sound. If it weren't for his beard, Kat would have thought him to be an elf. The two soldiers moved in unison, Ty leading, maneuvering over the terrain, and Kat following, assessing the surroundings and comparing it to what she had read. They had found some open, elevated areas and found that they were nearly a half-day hike from the forest's border. In her mind's eye, Kat could picture Beorn's house and the ford and the gates of Moria. She shivered with the thought of being so close to so many Orcs and a Balrog.

Ty had stopped every now and then, watching and waiting as Kat would catch up. He would look at her with an unreadable expression. She felt sorry for not being as fast, and making him wait.

The sun was descending, not quit touching the horizon, but low enough to announce how late it really was. Kat had reasoned with Ty that neither one had brought a flashlight or a torch and wouldn't have any means of illumination when the sun went down, so it would be sensible to turn around and head back to camp.

After begging a latrine break, Kat made a little ways away from the large infantryman. From the color of her urine, Kat could tell she was getting very dehydrated. They were all being very careful with the water. Kat prayed that if what Ty and her found today were indicative of what to come, then perhaps they could reach the ford by tomorrow evening.

Oh, what a blessing that would be! They could drink their fill and refill their camelbaks. Kat could take an honest to goodness bath.

Kat buckled her belt and started to don her gear as one foot kicked dirt onto her waste. A feeling of unease was starting to settle. The woods were quiet and it was starting to get dark… well, darker. She would be so happy when they left these woods. As the shadows started to stretch, Kat's imagination began to grow. She spun her head up towards the tree tops, wondering if she was seeing glowing eyes and eight legs. More black squirrels scurried by, one stopping, flashing blood red eyes at her.

A twig snapped and Kat jumped towards the sound. Relief spread through her as panic melted away till it was only a puddle at her feet. Ty smiled sheepishly as Kat chuckled at her previous anxiety.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. He most likely wanted to get back as badly as she and was too embarrassed to admit it. Ty adverted his eyes and shift his feet, his Kevlar helmet and weapon lying next to them.

Ty wasn't a bad looking man. In fact, he was quite the opposite. It didn't hurt that he was also had _all_ the right proportions in spades. There was rarely a girl that passed his way that didn't leave unsatisfied. He had a smile that could charm a cobra and the most startling green eyes. And Kat could find no fault with his character or his manners… well, except for his burst of violence that morning. She just wasn't attracted to blonds. Considering the elves that they had recently met, that was a good thing. So it was no surprise that, as handsome as Ty was, Kat was not captivated by him.

"I was worried," Ty said.

Kat resumed snapping on her gear, and divided her attention between Ty and her gear. "What about?"

"You," he said, as if it was the most obvious thing.

Curious, Kat hands froze, giving Ty her complete attention. "Me?"

Ty shrugged. "Yeah. I mean, in less than two weeks, we've landed in place that – before now – was considered totally imaginary, a place that only you know the fine points of. We've almost became spider food, met up with elves twice, and you're life's been threatened three times. Come on, if anybody needs to be protected, it's you!"

Kat gave him a small smile as she finished snapping the last buckle and looked back up. "Thanks, Ty, but I can look out for myself."

Ty huffed, "Well, you shouldn't have to."

Kat chuckled. "I didn't say that I had to, only that I can. It is my choice to look after myself. I like being independent."

"Well, being independent now might get you killed!" There was something in Ty's tone and stance that caused her to be concerned. He was getting frustrated, that was obvious. And she had seen what he could do while in anger. The only question left was what the border between frustration and rage was.

Kat sighed. "Ty… I know I don't have to be alone. And I'm not. I have Reggie, Newt, Wally, and you – just like you have all of us. I just rely on myself, too."

He crossed the distance between the two in three strides. "You don't seem to understand," Ty hissed, his fingers digging into Kat's shoulders with strength that she flinched in pain. Chances were they were going to leave bruises. "You're a _woman_, in the middle of nowhere, with only a boy, a geek, and a worrier to protect you, _if_ they are able to. I've seen battle, can fight with the best. _I_ can give you _absolute_ protection, Wylde."

"Stop it!" She tried to get free, but Ty was far too strong. She wiggled and squirmed this way and that, but nothing would yield. His fingers only dug deeper into her skin. How could he… someone she trusted, her teammate, a fellow soldier… do this?! "You're hurting me!"

"I've watched you for so long, _Katherine_. You have no idea what a woman like you means to a man like me. You try to be strong… so strong. You don't have to be. Just give yourself to me!" Ty eyes had a wild gleam to them, a frenzy that scared her to the point of panic. "All you have to say is that you'll commit to me, and I'll be a good man for you."

He grabbed her hair with one hand, holding her head in place, and crashed his lips against hers – hard. Kat pressed against Ty, trying to push him away. She had to stop this! As hard as she tried, as hard as she pushed against him, Ty was just too strong. He held her in place, pressing her against him, as he nipped at her lips, demanding entrance. Tears began to form behind her eyes as an old memory and an old panic returned. _–Oh, please no, please no, please no.-_ Her mind strayed back to another time and another place…

_**&The news was that joggers were advised to run in pairs, especially during the dark hours. The new trend was to mug unsuspecting, individual innocents who only wished to stay healthy. It was wise reasoning – but Kat was too stubborn, too independent to follow. Besides, who would want to bother with someone like her?**_

_**With dawn approaching, in a well lit route, Kat had been testing her body's limits and striving for a little further, a little faster. She was so intently focused on the path before her and her aching body when a force pushed her into the dirt besides the path. A pair of hands was already pulling at her clothes before she registered what had happened, what was happening. Her sweat pants were to her mid-shins by the time she realized what he wanted. The assailant was pulling at her panties by the time she remembered to fight back and started thrashing about. He immediately sat on her legs, restraining them from kicking his groin. She swung her fists this way and that, desperate to fight him off. Fighting might aggravate the assailant, but death would be far better than to be raped of her virginity. Her panic doubled when he captured both her wrists and restrained them above her head. She tried rolling this way and that, desperate to free herself, or at least one of her limbs. The rolling shifted the man, temporarily dislodging him and freeing one of her legs. Without hesitation, she swung her leg, her ankle hitting the base of his skull. He fell down and was still. With a shaky breath, Kat stood and recovered herself. She knelt down and unstrapped the ten pound weight from her ankle, thanking whatever deity that she had thought to strap the extra weights on.**_

_**The next few hours passed in a haze. She could remember the cloud of red and blue flashing lights that crowded her eyes and distorted voices that rose and melded with one another till it resembled a hive of bees. It was the following days that she remembered with clarity. She would never forget how disparate her feeling were when she learned that the metal weight on her ankle had broken one of his lower cervical disks in his neck, leaving her attacker a quadriplegic for the rest of his young life. His imprisonment wouldn't be for a few decades, but instead till the day he died. He was imprisoned in his own body. Every day for the rest of his life, he would not be able to walk, use his legs, reach out to grab for something, feed himself, turn in bed, or even wipe his own bottom after defecation.**_

_**She didn't know whether to be elated or mortified. On one hand, all those he had harmed now had their reprisal and no other female would ever – EVER – be victimized by his deeds. So many needed this closure and so many needed this promise of safety. But this man would now be at the mercies of other for the rest of his life. As a nurse, she knew all that was involved when caring for someone who could never use or feel his arms or legs again and knew how easy it would be for him to develop an unbound list of wounds and diseases. He had been given a condemnation that was possibly worse than death… and she had done that to him.&**_

He lowered them to their knees and the tears that were building up behind her eyes began to fall freely. She could feel his fingers burrowing underneath her armored vest into her back, almost as if he were trying to massage her. It would have been a tender thing if it didn't hurt so much. _–Anything, but this.-_

Ty's lips moved from hers, lowering to the crook of her neck, while the hand that held her head steady moved to the snaps and buckles of her gear.

"Stop this, Ty. STOP IT!" she screamed as loud as her tear clogged throat would allow. There was some small hope, very small, that the others would hear her. The tears were falling faster, turning into a full-fledged sob, as he undid each buckle, one by one.

She wanted to leave her mind, she wanted to black out. She wanted to just not know what her teammate, her battle buddy, was doing to her. As Ty finished with the last snap and pulled open her vest and unbuckled the belt to her pants, then running his free hand underneath her ACU blouse up and down her spine, she wanted nothing more than to die.

"Please, Ty," Kat begged. "Please, stop."

Bringing himself from her neck, Ty smirked. "Don't you worry. I'll take care of you." He slipped his free hand down her pants, cupping her butt. "I'll be nice and gentle." He grazed a finger across her folds.

And Kat snapped.

"NO!"

A bashing sound interrupted her scream and Ty tensed and immediately went limp, falling over her. Kat tried to push him off her, her vision blurred with tears. The weight of his body disappeared and she heard some scuffling.

"That dirty, rotten, fu…" Kat's tears of despair turned to tears of relief. "…stard. Just let me kill 'im, Newt. I'll rip the shi…" Kat wiped the tears from her eyes. "balls off."

Kat looked up from her kneeling position at the three standing men. Newt was standing close by while Reggie and Wally stood over Ty's limp body.

Plopping down to the ground, Kat took in a ragged breath as tears returned and one slipped down her cheek. Why did men assume that they could assault her? Did men just see her as a means to get off? That her only valuable asset was her vagina? It just wasn't fair! She couldn't handle it any longer! She had enough! Her body shook as tears slid down her cheeks. She was tired. She was dirty. She was sore. She was hungry. She was… crying?!

Uh oh. That meant…

As Reggie and Wally proceeded to drag Ty away, both constraining from beating him senseless, Newt watched as their medic began to shake like a leaf in the wind. "Wylde," Newt spoke softly. "We'll make sure he won't come near you again. I promise… I promise to protect you better from now on." Newt crouched to Kat's level, all the while she violently trembled. "Just tell me what I can do to help."

Choking down a sob, and with a ragged breath, she said, "Do you have a sanitary napkin or some chocolate?"

The squad leader went from red to green to white. Newt's complexion lost two shades. His mouth opened, yet his words halted in his throat. Seeing this, Kat laughed. It never failed. Talk of guts and gore could not faze a man. Talk of hard time and poverty couldn't discourage a guy. But mention the 'p' word and a guy couldn't run fast enough. Even a married man.

It wasn't funny.

It wasn't!

Reggie and Wally glanced back, wondering which was more disturbing: Newt's horrific expression or Kat, sobbing and laugh simultaneously.

Newt shift from one foot to the other. Kat was a woman in distress, and he had a mother who raised him to be a gentleman to every woman. But she was also a soldier, 'one of the guys', a battle buddy, someone you could tell a crude joke to, someone who it was alright to pass gas in front off. You don't get touchy-feely with one of the guys. It was a dilemma, an undecided factor; treat her as a lady or a soldier? This was one of the very – _very_ – few times he wished there was another female in his squad.

"Wylde," Newt said, uncertain, "Please… tell me what to do."

Kat smiled through the tears in sympathy of his unease. "Take me back to the campsite," she said softly.

There was something in Kat's soft tone that decided his internal battle. Kneeling down to Kat's form, he gently took hold of her arms and lifted her to her feet. They each grabbed parts of her gear that lay about, and Kat buckled her belt and gear back on. Newt wrapped one arm around her shoulders and other shouldered his and her weapons. The part of her that was shy kept her from wrapping her arms around him, and instead she merely held onto a part of his Kevlar vest.

"How did you find us?" she asked as they began to walk.

Newt shrugged and gave a half-hearted smile. "You really weren't all that far. You guys must've just made a big circle around us. Thank goodness you've got one good set of lungs on ya – well, we just ran towards the scream. Just lucky, it seems."

As they neared the campsite in the dwindling twilight, Kat had to agree. With all the near misses they had – she had – and the support from at least three of her squad members, the fact was inevitable. She was lucky.

**Preview on next chapter…**

Just as Kat shot one Orc down, two more would step forward to take its place. _-Where do these guys come from?- _Kat shot two more. _-Do they spawn out of the shadows or something_?- An Orc tried for her side. Kat rammed the butt into its pointed face. Another approached and stopped short, realizing it was open to her shots.

A wicked smile crept up Kats lips as she pulled the trigger. That smile faded quickly when all she heard was a small click. The Orc still stood.

Kat looked at the dust cover. It was opened, the bolt was locked to the rear, and the chamber was empty. Diagnosis: she was out of ammo.

**Next chapter will come after ten reviews. So when I next update is up to you.**


End file.
